Back To Your Heart
by loulou26
Summary: Clark and Lois are friends, the best of friends, until one day something happens that changes the way they see each other. But how long can the relationship last when a mysterious new hero arrives in Metropolis, catching the eye of one Lois Lane.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **Chloe and Lois both work together at the Daily Planet, Clark is still on the farm, unsure of where his destiny lies, until he decides that maybe the city of Metropolis could use his help. Oliver and Lois have dated, but both have moved on since then. Mostly an AU fic, but there are some similarities to Season 8 with the Red-Blue-Blur. But the rest of it has a kind of season 5 kind of vibe.  
**  
**

_**Prologue**_

"Ha! Beat that Smallville!" Lois shouted in triumph, doing her victory dance as the pins scattered everywhere, a perfect strike. She high-fived Chloe and stood back, rocking on her heels and throwing Clark a challenging look.

Smirking at her as he picked up a rather heavy looking ball, he said. "Stand back and watch Lane."

"Sure you don't want to pick out a lighter ball there Smallville?" Lois teased, but as he turned around, she could see the muscles twitching in his back, under his blue t-shirt. He so didn't need a lighter ball.

At the Metropolis Bowlerama, Lois, Chloe and Clark were enjoying their newly found ritual of spending more time together. Something that had only been going on for a few weeks. Every other Friday night, they would get together, along with Oliver, for a meal or something more fun, and catch up. And tonight, Lois was thoroughly enjoying getting to beat Clark.

"Oh, better stand back Lois, he's got his game face on." Chloe laughed.

"Oh is that what that is? I thought he'd burnt a fuse out or something." Chuckling, she sat down next to her cousin, ignoring the glare Clark was sending her. "So where's Oliver. He's late." "He said he had to take care of some business but he'd be…oh, and there he is." Chloe pointed over to the shoe counter, where Oliver was standing. Heading towards them with a pair of bowling shoes, he grimaced as he looked down at them.

"How many people have worn these exactly?" He asked, sitting down next to Chloe. Lois couldn't help but chuckle at him. Even as easy going as Oliver was, when faced with a situation like this, his billionaire side showed through.

"Stop griping Ollie, get them on and get in the game already." Lois said. "The shoes are all part of the fun of bowling."

Oliver did so, but not without a little grumble. "So who's winning?" He asked. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Do you even have to ask?"

"Lois." He nodded, as Lois grinned.

"That's right Queen, think you can take me on?" She challenged.

"Uh guys," Clark interrupted as he headed back over to them, his face nearly splitting from the grin he was giving Lois. "I do believe that is another strike Lois. What's that, three in a row now?"

She glanced at the screen and sure enough, Clark had scored yet another strike. A hat trick_. Oh hell no, I'm not having this_, Lois thought. She stood up and smoothed down her teal coloured v-neck shirt. "Don't get cocky Smallville, the game's not over yet." She marched over to the rack and collected another ball, only to feel a tap on her shoulder. She whizzed around, finding Clark standing very close and for a moment, she lost the ability to talk. His eyes were the clearest blue she had ever seen, how had she not noticed them before.

"What?" She asked, momentarily a little flustered. "It's Chloe's turn Lois." He laughed.

Slightly embarrassed, Lois replied. "I know that. I was just choosing the right ball for my next shot. Got to have the right one Smallville."

"Uh-huh." He chuckled, moving to sit next to Oliver.

She looked over at Chloe who was watching Clark and Oliver with a strange expression that Lois couldn't read. Catching her eye, Chloe threw her a smile and turned towards the lane to take her shot.

"Ooh, tough break cuz." Lois winced, as Chloe had only managed to knock down two pins. "Come on, you can nail this one." Chloe chuckled. "You're taking this game a little seriously don't you think Lo?"

"Maybe, but what's the point in playing if not to win? Besides, I have to wipe that smirk off his face, it's driving me crazy." She murmured, stepping up close to Chloe so that Clark couldn't hear her.

"Who Clark?""Who else?"

Chloe patted her shoulder lightly. "I think you've got this game Lois, there's only one more turn left."As it turned out, Lois and Clark drew even, which made Clark even more irritating and Lois even more determined to beat him."Hey I have an idea, how about this time we go girls vs. boys?" Chloe suggested.

Oliver and Clark nodded their agreement, Lois however, had another idea. "Or, how about me and Ollie vs. you and Clark?"

Chloe raised her eyebrows at Clark, who smiled. "Sure, stick with me Chloe, we'll win this thing for sure."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure on that boy scout." Oliver chipped in, moving to stand next to Lois. "Lois and I make a pretty good team, huh legs?" He asked her.

Chuckling softly, she didn't notice Clark's frown as she grabbed Chloe's arm, dragging her away. "We'll get some more drinks in while you two set it up."

"You're very hyper tonight." Chloe said as they waited to be served at the bar.

"I'm just happy Chlo. I love spending time with my best friends. I don't see enough of them.""Lois, we work together every day, Clark visits us at work mostly every day, and Oliver…well I don't know how much you see him but I'm guessing its not that infrequently."

"Actually, I don't see that much of him these days. Work is work so that doesn't count for us. And the only times I see Smallville is when he's visiting _you_. I'm not stupid enough to think he actually drives all the way to Metropolis just to see me."

Chloe's eyes sparkled mischievously. "You want him to visit _you_?"

Lois smirked and fluttered her eyelashes. "It's my dream come true."

After placing their order, Lois and Chloe headed back to their table, only to find Oliver sitting alone."Hey, where's Clark?" Lois asked.

"Oh he uh…" He looked over at Chloe pointedly as Lois set the drinks down on the table. "Went to check on his truck, he can't remember locking it."

Chloe sat down next to him and leaned in close, whispering. "Is that the best you could come up with?"

"Hey, it was a last minute thing." He defended. They turned back to Lois, who was watching them.

"He'll be right back Lois."

"Okay." She shrugged it off and stared down at the screen. "You ready to take them on Ollie?"

"Bring it on." Chloe said, making both Oliver and Lois burst out laughing. She looked a little confused. "What?"

* * *

Clark stuck to the shadows, looking out at the road, the car that had been speeding out of control was now sitting at the side of the road, the engine idling, the driver looking very confused. As he watched him get out, he heard a beep come from his pocket. Opening his cell phone he read the text from Lois.

"_It doesn't take this long to check if your truck's locked Smallville. Get your butt back here and get this game started."_

He frowned at the message. What was she talking about? Shaking his head, he put his phone back in his pocket and took one last look at the driver, there were sirens in the distance, he would be fine soon enough. Feeling a little better that he'd stopped anyone getting hurt, he turned around and super sped back to the Bowlerama. He was on a mission and that mission was, to annihilate Lois Lane at bowling.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

"Okay, question four." Lois said as she twirled from side to side in her chair behind her desk at the Daily Planet. She was sitting with her knees raised, her feet tucked in under her, with a magazine in her lap. "Which would you prefer-being wanted, or being needed?"

Across the way, at the desk next to Lois', Chloe paused in her typing. "Being wanted. No, being needed. I don't know, which would you prefer?"

"We'll get to mine later, this is your quiz. Come on Chlo, which one?"

Chloe blew out a breath as she sat back, running her hands through her short, blonde curls. "Well, being wanted is nice, but you can be needed without actually being wanted. That being said, if someone needs you, it means they can't live without you so…I have no idea."

Lois laughed. "Chloe, you can only choose one."

"Okay uh, being needed."

"Okay." Lois replied, scribbling her answer down. "Question five…"

"Lois is this really necessary?"

"No but it's _fun_. You know that thing, people have it sometimes when they're not letting their job run their lives."

Chloe shot her a look. "Ha ha. I'll have you know I have lots of fun."

"Really? When's the last time you went out on a date? I mean, is there anyone you have your eye on lately?"

Chloe shrugged her shoulders but avoided Lois' gaze. _Interesting_, she thought.

"No not really. I haven't had much time for that sort of thing." When Lois chuckled, she turned her head to look at her. "Okay then what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Don't tell me you've been sitting at home knitting lately Lo. Have _you_ had any dates lately?"

"One or two." She shrugged. "But we're not talking about me, nice deflection by the way, we're talking about you. Now, question five…" Lois tucked a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear and looked down at the magazine in her lap.

Chloe sighed. "How exactly is this quiz going to help me find my soul mate?"

Lois rolled her eyes. "I love you cuz, but you really take life way too seriously sometimes. And the purpose of this quiz isn't to _find_ your soul mate, its to determine what _type _of guy could be your soul mate."

Lois looked around the empty bullpen, with just her and Chloe here, it was strangely quiet. No sounds at all except for the constant tapping of keys coming from Chloe's direction.

"What are we still doing here anyway, everyone else went home hours ago."

"I have a few things I need to finish up on. You can go if you want?" Chloe replied, returning her attention to her screen.

"Nah I'm good. Besides, you never know what might come through the wire."

Chloe laughed. "Okay, question five?"

"Right. Do you think relationships that are built on friendship are more successful than those that begin at first sight?"

"That's a good question." Chloe fell silent as she thought about her answer. "Well, looking at it logically-"

"Which is something you're not supposed to do." Lois interjected, amusement twinkling in her eyes.

Chloe threw her a mock glare and continued. "Looking at it logically, if you've known the guy for a long time and never had any feelings for him, what's the catalyst for it? Also, meeting someone new is good, if there's an instant attraction even better, but there's no baggage from the past to hold you back. So you put yourself completely into the relationship."

Lois shook her head, man, her cousin was way too introspective. "So I take it you're going for the 'begin at first sight' answer?"

Chloe nodded and she jotted it down. "Okay, all done. Let's just tally up your score and see who you get."

"Fine, while you do that I'm getting a refill," she said, standing up and grabbing her coffee mug. "Want another one Lo?"

"Sure why not, I'm living life on the edge." she said with a chuckle. "So what's the plan for Friday? I haven't talked to Oliver or Clark yet and it's been three weeks since we went bowling."

Chloe looked over her shoulder at Lois as she went about pouring their drinks. "You still sound so annoyed about that night Lois."

Lois huffed out a sigh and swivelled her chair to face Chloe. "I am not annoyed, but Clark Kent has a rematch coming his way. And soon."

"Well, at least he didn't beat you by much." Chloe offered as she walked back over, handed Lois her coffee, then sat back down at her desk. "And no one can say you're not a gracious loser."

Lois grimaced at the memory of her throwing her ball so hard that it skipped across two lanes and ironically, hit a strike, earning her some smiles from the guys playing on that lane.

"So not the point, but whatever." She took a sip of her coffee and returned her attention to the magazine.

"So your score is fifteen, that means that your soul mate is likely to be a guy who knows what he wants, isn't afraid to go for it, and is probably the kind who has had a lot of meaningless relationships in the past."

"Gee sounds like a keeper."

"See but that's the point Chloe, you're the one who will make him see what he's been missing. Once he gets with you, there'll be no other woman for him."

She watched as Chloe rolled her eyes, and went back to her typing. "Yeah, that's really gonna happen for me Lois."

"Why not?"

Chloe stopped and looked up, but her eyes caught on something behind Lois and suddenly, she broke out into a smile. "Hi Clark, what are you doing here so late?"

Lois turned around, aiming to tease the guy a little but before she could open her mouth, her chair tilted backwards and she was too late reaching out to grab onto her desk.

With only the thought that this was going to hurt in her mind, she closed her eyes, and was surprised when she looked up to see Clark's smiling face hovering over hers. Looking around she saw that he'd caught her chair just before impact and she was half sitting, half lying with him standing over her. She smiled up at him, her eyes meeting his.

"Nice save."

"Nice to see you too Lois," he said as he righted her chair, landing her with a thud. "But you don't have to fall for me every time I walk in here."

"In your dreams Smallville. I'm not the falling kind." she retorted, running her hands through her hair to smooth it out.

Clark perched himself in his usual spot, the chair between hers and Chloe's desks, and grinned at her. "Really, is that so?"

"Uh-huh."

"We'll see Lois." She didn't know what he meant by that comment and she didn't want to know.

"So what are you guys up to? I thought you'd be at home by now." he asked, leaning back in his chair lazily.

"Chloe's finishing up some things and I am doing some majorly important research."

"Oh? On what?"

"Finding a soul mate." Chloe said with a snicker. "She thinks doing a Cosmo quiz is gonna help me find the man of my dreams."

"Hey, you never know." Lois defended, feeling a little ridiculous now that there was an audience.

"You don't believe all that stuff do you Lois?" Clark asked, his eyes watching her carefully.

"What stuff is that?" she replied, flopping the magazine down onto her desk.

"Soul mates and stuff. I mean, do you really believe that there's one perfect person out there for you?" He looked like he was genuinely interested in her answer, not just teasing her. So she answered honestly.

"Actually I don't know. I think I'd like to believe in the whole love at first sight thing, but it seems way too good to be true. But to think that there's one perfect person out there? I don't know, the world's a big place. Some paths just never cross. And besides, what is a soul mate exactly." she said, not really expecting an answer.

"A soul mate is the person you're destined to spend the rest of your life with. Someone who knows you inside out, flaws and all," he smiled as he spoke, leaning in closely to her desk. "Someone who accepts you for who you are and loves you because of your faults, not in spite of them."

For a moment she was utterly speechless. Where had that come from? She glanced at Chloe, who was looking equally surprised, then back at Clark. Sometimes, very rarely, there were these moments where Clark would say or do something that would knock her totally off guard.

In the three years she'd known him, they'd come to be great friends, something that she now freely admitted because he had been there for her on so many occasions. Her break up with Oliver had been a bad one just under two years ago, and Clark had been there to help pick up the pieces.

And even though she and Ollie were in a good place now, where they could talk about anything, she often thought of that night when Clark had come to see if she was okay. So yeah, her opinion of him had shifted somewhat, he wasn't just a dorky farm boy to her anymore. He was her best friend.

"Wow, quite the wordsmith tonight huh Smallville?" she chuckled.

He looked down at his hands and she thought she could see a trace of redness creeping up his face.

"Well, I think that there is someone out there for you Lois." he said quietly.

"I wouldn't bet on it." she laughed.

She wondered if he still thought of Lana as his soul mate. Lois inwardly sighed. Those two could not have been a more worse match. Sure they'd loved each other, but when all was said and done, had it really been worth it. They both put each other through so much pain and now that they were apart and had been for about a year, she thought that they were better off as friends.

Some people just weren't meant to be, no matter how badly they wanted to fight it. Which she'd gotten her proof of when Lana had just up and left and moved to another country, happy to leave her life with Clark behind.

She'd tried to be there for him when Lana had told him she was leaving, but she wasn't sure how much help she'd been. Her awkwardness had made her slip into teasing mode and she hadn't wanted to do that, but he'd seemed to be grateful for it.

Shaking her head out of her thoughts, Lois stood up and stretched her back. But a beeping from her computer had her bending over her desk again. "Ooh grab your jacket Chlo, let's go." she said excitedly.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked as she stood and started putting her jacket on.

"Armed robbery at a liquor store." Lois replied in a rush as she started heading for the door.

"Go Team Lo-Chlo?" Clark laughed, getting up.

"It's Team Chlo-Lo actually Clark." Chloe chuckled as she walked out with him, following Lois as she headed up the stairs. "Lois actually named us that."

"I thought Team Lo-Chlo had a better ring to it, you know like Loco? Never mind…" he trailed off as Lois spun around to face him. In true Lois fashion however, her foot missed the step below and she stumbled into Clark, who caught her easily.

"We've gotta stop meeting like this." he said, staring into her eyes with amusement.

Punching him in the arm, she rolled her eyes.

"What was that for?" he asked, looking mildly offended.

"That was for the lame cliché. But thanks for the catch…again."

As all three of them made their way out onto the street, Lois could hear the alarms and police sirens going off already.

"Come on." she said, grabbing Chloe's arm and running off in the direction of the drama.

"Lois slow down, you're tearing my arm off." Chloe grumbled.

She glanced behind her as Chloe slowed her pace, and frowned. "Hey, where did Clark go?" 


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two  
**_

As they got closer to the scene, Lois could already see three police cars lined up outside the liquor store that was situated on the corner of the street.

"I still don't know why Clark had to disappear so quickly, he's gonna miss all the fun."

Chloe shrugged but didn't respond as she followed her cousin into the growing crowd of onlookers. Notepad and press pass at the ready, Lois made her way over to a cop standing by one of the cars.

"Hey there, Lois Lane, Daily Planet…" She extended her hand but the police officer barely gave her a glance.

"So, what's going on?" she asked, shoving her hand into her jacket pocket. This guy didn't look like he was about to tell them anything, he just kept staring at the front of the darkened store.

All the lights had been turned out and on the surface, it looked like it was just a regular liquor store that was closed for the night. But the hard set of the cop's shoulders told her something was going on. Something big. His face, however, was impassive as he turned and looked at Lois.

"Ma'am, I can't tell you anything okay. You shouldn't be here right now, it's dangerous."

"The robber is still in there then?" Chloe asked, stepping forward to place a hand on her cousin's shoulder. Lois stared at her for a minute, saw something flash in her eyes, and then stepped back.

He let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, this is a hostage situation. I really can't say anything. Now go and stand behind the tape."

Lois complied, leaving Chloe to talk with the officer. They'd done this many times before, one playing distraction duties while the other went about finding another way in. And most of the time it worked.

Not that she was about to go in there, not when it was a hostage situation, she didn't want to add her name to the list. She was impulsive sure, but she wasn't stupid. But she needed a closer look to be able to write a decent article later on.

She walked around the corner and headed away from the store. About halfway down she found an alley that she hoped would lead her to the back of the store. When the crates and discarded liquor boxes came into view, she knew she'd been right.

Keeping to the shadows, Lois made her way towards the building, but stopped dead when something came crashing through the window, narrowly missing her and landing at her feet. It was the cash register, empty of course.

Then she heard the door open and two male, hushed voices. "Screw him, come on let's go!"

"We can't just leave him here, the cops are everywhere." Someone hissed. Three robbers? Lois felt herself smile in the darkness. This was going to make a juicy story. Hostage situation, two of the robbers leaving their buddy to take the fall? Excellent.

"Then he shouldn't have gotten so creative should he? All we had to do was get in, get the money and get out. It was so simple. Till he decided to go all Jackie Chan on the owner."

"You know what he's like, he's hot-headed, we shouldn't have brought him in but we can't let him take the fall now." The voices were getting closer now, so Lois ducked down behind a nearby dumpster, but silently cursed when her foot knocked over an empty beer bottle.

"What was that?"

"Forget it, let's go!"

"No I heard something." The man who spoke was getting closer, heading her way to inspect. She froze, suddenly thinking that this wasn't such a good idea. Chloe had no idea where she was, the police were all out front.

And she was trapped in this alley with two men who obviously had no problem with taking care of business. Come to think of it, where were the cops? They should've had this alley sealed off. She peaked around the corner of the dumpster, seeing no one but hearing the footsteps getting closer. Where was he?

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She could hear the smirk in his voice and looked up, but the voice had come from behind her. Suddenly she was grabbed roughly by the arms and thrust against the wall. "Don't you know it's not safe for a pretty little thing like you to be lurking around in dark alleys at night?"

"You might wanna take your hands off me." she warned.

"Griff, we gotta get out of here." Lois looked to her left, his partner was nearly jumping out of his skin. He was a bag of nerves as his eyes kept darting from the store back to the end of the alley.

The one who held her however, simply smiled and leaned in close.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't huh beautiful?" The stale stench of coffee and cigarettes on his breath made her want to gag but she held it in as she smirked.

"You don't wanna find out."

"Oh I think I do. You got a little fight in you don't you?" he said, smiling wickedly.

"You have no idea." Lois raised her knee sharp, catching him where she knew it would hurt the most. He yelled but didn't let go, instead shoving her back a little harder so that the back of her head hit the wall.

All three of them jumped as the loud pop of a gunshot went off from inside and then a scream emerged as a man with a gun was thrown through the back door, sending shattered, splintered wood everywhere as he hit the ground, out for the count.

Lois watched as the nervous looking one took off, running towards the end of the alley as fast as he could. From out of nowhere, the man who'd been holding her was ripped away, hitting the wall opposite with a thud, and landing in an unconscious heap on the floor.

"What the…?"

"Police freeze!" Two officers ran out of the store, guns trained on the only conscious robber left. He stopped, wisely, Lois thought, as they both ran over to him.

"Down on the ground, now!"

What the heck had just happened? Lois was still trying to figure it out when one of the officers stepped into view.

"Are you all right Miss?"

"Uh…yeah I'm…fine. What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. Everything was at a stand off until we heard the gunshot, then the owner of the store ran outside so we headed in." He looked around, his forehead creasing into a frown as he took a look at the two men lying on the floor.

"Someone should've been covering the back, I'll have to bring this up with my superior."

"You do that." Lois replied, stepping away from the wall on shaky legs. She was sure she would've been able to handle the punk who'd been holding her but the seed of doubt was firmly planted and now that it was over, it was growing rapidly. She realised now how badly she could've been hurt.

"Do you have any idea how this…" He indicated the men. "Could've happened?"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't see anything."

The cop studied her for a moment, clearly disbelieving, but then he smiled tightly and stepped aside. "We're gonna need a statement from you Miss…Lane." he said, looking at her press pass that was pinned to the lapel of her jacket.

"Lois!" Chloe ran towards her, throwing her arms around her in a bear hug. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine Chloe."

"What happened? I thought we were supposed to write the stories, not become them."

Chloe watched as Lois looked around the alley, distractedly. She seemed to be looking for something.

"Someone…or something…saved me Chloe."

"Come again?"

Lois turned and smiled, that same smile Chloe had seen many times before and it could only mean one thing. Lois Lane had a new mission.

"We have a new hero in Metropolis."

* * *

Clark stood on top of one of the buildings that overlooked the city, looking down at the liquor store. He watched as Chloe and Lois emerged from the alley and allowed himself to relax a little.

He hadn't meant to be so rough on those guys, but seeing the way that guy was treating Lois had awakened an anger in him that he'd never felt so strongly before, something that he didn't want to analyze right now.

He quickly x-rayed the robbers as they were carried off, they would probably be nursing a severe headache for the next day or two, and he relaxed a little more when he saw no broken bones or life threatening injuries of any kind.

He'd waited, bided his time until he could make his move without getting the owner of the shop killed. And since he'd had a gun pointed at his head most of the time, Clark had had to let the other two men escape, knowing he would catch them later.

He hadn't expected Lois to throw herself into the mix. He hadn't expected it, but he shouldn't have been surprised by it either. When he saw what was happening to her, he knew he couldn't wait any longer. Lois was tough, she could take care of herself in most situations but these men had guns and he hadn't wanted to take any risks.

"Come on Lo," He heard Chloe say as she walked away with Lois. "Let's go home."

"Are you kidding me? We've got an article to write little cuz, come on." Clark found himself smiling as he watched Lois grab Chloe's hand, leading her back towards the Daily Planet. That woman didn't let anything faze her.

With one final glance at the scene to make sure everything was okay, and deciding it was, Clark sped off.

* * *

"Smallville, where on earth did you disappear to? You missed like, everything." Lois exclaimed excitedly as he entered the bullpen a little while later.

He handed her and Chloe a Styrofoam cup full of coffee each and perched himself on the corner of her desk. "Well I thought you two might need this since you've been working all day and whatever was happening there might've taken a while."

His eyes caught Chloe's, and he smiled when she sent him a subtle wink as Lois grabbed her coffee and rambled on.

"Well it took about five minutes. Someone was there Clark, he took care of three…" she said the word as if it were a thousand and Clark had to suppress a chuckle. "Three guys, knocking them out cold in a matter of seconds. It was amazing. One of them had me pinned against the wall and…"

"You never told me that." Chloe frowned.

Lois waved a hand at her. "It's not important Chlo, anyway…"

"He didn't hurt you did he?" Clark asked, wanting to be sure. His sudden question was enough to shut her up and for a moment she looked as if she didn't know how to respond.

"No, no he didn't," she replied, softly. Her eyes met his and he saw something there for a split second before the excitement crept back in. "He didn't get a chance to. I was right there, these men were flying everywhere and I never saw a single thing. No movement, no noise. The owner of the shop was unhurt, he got his money back, and the only thing that suffered was a couple of windows and a door." She flopped back in her chair, taking a few deep breaths and this time Clark couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled to the surface.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay Lois. But who do you think it was that helped you?"

He knew he shouldn't be proud of his actions tonight, considering he'd probably given two of the men concussions, but Lois' excitement was very contagious and he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her so fired up. Knowing he was the one who'd put that enormous smile on her face was an incredible feeling.

"That's what I intend to find out Clarkie boy," she said with a smirk. "One thing's for sure, Metropolis is lucky to have someone like that around."

Clark glanced over at Chloe, who was wearing a smile almost as big as Lois' and if he wasn't mistaken, a look of pride too. He stood back and watched, smiling, as Lois and Chloe bustled around the quiet bullpen.

Maybe this was what his destiny was, helping people, using his abilities to do other things than just farm chores. And that's what he would do from now on.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

"Clark honey can you set the table please?" Martha asked as she bustled around the kitchen. The smells that drifted over to him had his mouth watering. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed the cutlery from the drawer.

"Can you set places for four please?"

"Four? Why who else is coming?"

"I invited Lois over tonight." she said, in a tone that said she'd already told him once. He couldn't remember it though.

"Why?"

Martha paused and turned to look at him. "Because she's your friend Clark and I doubt that she's getting enough healthy meals, I know what she's like when she's chasing down a lead and besides, its been a couple of weeks since you saw either Lois or Chloe. I'm worried about you. You…"

He knew where this was going so he held up his hand to stop her. "Mom, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, really. Besides I talk on the phone with them all the time."

Martha didn't look convinced. "It's just that you've been so focused on helping people lately that you haven't taken any time for yourself."

He shrugged and made his way over to the table. "Helping people is important mom, isn't that what you and dad have always taught me? To use my abilities to help those who need it."

"Of course sweetheart but not at the expense of your own life. You need to take something for yourself, have something that makes you happy."

He smiled at her. "Mom, for the first time in a long time, I'm doing something that matters. This does make me happy."

And it was the truth. After that night a couple of weeks ago, just after the robbery that never quite got finished, Clark had been going out patrolling. A lot. Each night there was someone to save, someone to help. Each night he came home feeling like he'd actually made a difference, but there was still something that nagged at him.

Some hidden thought or feeling that refused to make itself known. It almost felt like something was missing. But there was something about helping people, even though nobody knew it was him, he still felt a sense of pride that he could put his heritage to good use.

Martha nodded, but Clark could still see the argument in her eyes though she chose to change the subject. He knew that this conversation was far from over, but Martha always knew when to leave it alone.

"I invited Chloe too but she said she couldn't make it."

"She's probably working on another article, those two are constantly on the go." Clark replied, glancing up when the door opened and his dad walked in, a smile lighting up his face. Clark wondered why he seemed so cheerful but then the answer walked in right behind him, laughing.

Lois.

Dressed in jeans, a light blue t-shirt, and her favourite beige jacket, she was casual yet he thought she looked quite pretty. He frowned. Since when had he started thinking of Lois as pretty? Of course she was beautiful, he'd always thought that but when had his view of her changed?

Sure she wasn't as annoying as she used to be, and their friendship had grown over the past couple of years. She'd been there for him countless times, helped him through things when she hadn't really even known all the details.

And when he and Lana had finally decided to call it quits, Lois had been there for that too. She'd listened without judging, gave him some helpful advice too, something that he thought Lois hadn't been capable of. How wrong he had been.

"Hey Mrs K, what's cooking?" she asked as she moved forward to give his mom a quick hug.

"Lois, it's so good to see you. You don't visit as often as you should you know."

Lois shrugged out of her jacket and hung it on the back of a chair. "I know and I'm sorry for that. But the Planet keeps me pretty busy these days."

"Well you're here now and you're going to have a decent home cooked meal for once."

Lois opened her mouth to protest but Jonathan put a hand on her shoulder and chuckled. "Lois, give it up. She's got you pegged."

"From one city girl to another, I know what it's like, but you need to make sure you're not over doing it Lois."

"I'm not I swear. I have it all under control."

All three heads turned in Clark's direction as he snorted.

"Something you wanna say Smallville?" she challenged, crossing her arms.

But he just smiled, he was wise to Lois and her glares. "Not at all Lois. And its good to see you too."

She shot him a smirk and turned back to Martha. He found himself looking at her, really looking, his eyes taking in every little detail about her. The way her eyes sparkled as she talked to his parents, the way her long, blonde hair flowed down her back. They were things he saw everyday yet he felt as if he were seeing them for the first time.

What was going on with him?

He shook himself out of his thoughts and looked up to see his dad watching him with a knowing smile. He quickly went back to his task of setting the table, leaving the three of them alone in the kitchen and him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"That was gorgeous Mrs K." Lois said leaning back in her chair and rubbing her stomach. "I'm stuffed."

Martha chuckled as she stood up to clear some of the dishes away. "I'm glad you enjoyed it Lois. How about some dessert?"

Lois thought about it for a second, then grinned. Martha's pies were too good to pass up on, even if her stomach did feel like it was about to burst. "Sure, I got room for dessert."

"Where do you put it all?" Clark said from across the table.

"Says the bottomless pit who's had two helpings tonight." she countered without even glancing over at him.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy, I need my sustenance."

She looked over at him then and saw him grinning and she felt something strange flutter in her stomach that had nothing to do with food and everything to do with the way he was looking at her. Something was different, she thought, as their eyes locked and she found herself returning his smile. She was grateful when Martha returned, placing a pie in the middle of the table.

"Blueberry," she told Lois. "Your favourite."

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"For you Lois, it's no trouble at all. You're as much a part of this family as any of us and we'd really like to see more of you." Jonathan said.

Lois was touched, for him to say something like that meant everything to a girl who grew up in a house where family meals meant a quick bite to eat before her dad had to get back to work or she had to help Lucy with her homework.

There was always something to be done and after her mom died, Lois had been the one who had to do it.

"Thank you." she replied quietly and quickly dug into the slice Martha had put in front of her.

Before she'd realised it, she'd managed to polish off two slices and when she was done, she looked up to see Clark watching her.

"What?"

"Nothing just, how do you eat all that and manage to stay looking like…that," he trailed off and smiled sheepishly, stabbing at his pie with his fork.

Lois didn't know what to say, she never thought that Clark thought of her like…that. She'd always assumed that she was the sister figure in his life, it never occurred to her that he could find her attractive.

And what was even more strange was the fact that she didn't mind at all. In fact, she rather liked it. What was wrong with her? Surely she couldn't be attracted to Clark. To Smallville.

But that inner voice in her head, the one that had been speaking up an awful lot lately, pointed out that she did indeed like it whenever he came to visit at the Daily Planet, that she had gotten used to having him around there. And that his company didn't annoy her the way it used to.

Feeling uncomfortable with Clark's parents sitting so close, Lois did what she did best: banter.

"Well it takes hard work Clarkie, we don't all have farm work to keep us trim. Though I don't know how you do it, I hardly ever see you doing as much work as your dad. I swear sometimes you can't be human."

It was a joke, Clark knew that, but she could swear that she saw him flinch before looking down at his plate. But he quickly recovered.

"Well speaking of work, I should probably get the rest of the chores done for the night." He got up and walked into the kitchen, popping his plate into the sink before walking out the door.

"Something I said?" Lois asked as she caught Jonathan and Martha sharing a look.

Martha smiled and shook her head. "Of course not Lois, Clark's just got a lot on his mind at the moment."

Lois nodded but she didn't buy it for a second. Something had just happened here, the question was, what?

"Well I think I might go for a walk, burn off some of this food. Oh, do you need some help with the dishes?"

"No you go ahead honey, we'll be fine."

"Okay."

They watched as she walked out the door and then started clearing the table. Standing at the sink, Martha and Jonathan looked out of the window and smiled at each other.

"How did I know that would be the first place she'd go?" Martha chuckled, watching as Lois walked straight into the barn. Jonathan wrapped his arms around her from behind, dropping a kiss on her head.

"Lois isn't stupid, she may not know exactly what she said wrong but she knew that something she'd said had hit a nerve. That girl knows Clark better than he does, even without knowing his secret."

* * *

She found him kneeling down next to his dad's old tractor, the green one that never worked but Jonathan couldn't bear to get rid of. It seemed every time she came here one of them was fixing the thing.

From behind she could see from the set of his shoulders that he was tense. She couldn't think of anything she'd said to upset him but something told her she had. And for some reason that did not sit well with her.

"You know as hiding places go, this one isn't very smart if you don't wanna be found."

He lifted his head but didn't turn around so she sat down on one of the bails of hay next to him and crossed her legs.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Lois." he replied, sounding a little defensive.

"Really," she deadpanned. "That's why the tractor is receiving a punishment?"

He dropped his tools and stood up, facing Lois. He didn't look angry or hurt so that was a good sign, Lois thought. But there was something in his eyes, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I'm fine, really. I guess I'm just a little…"

"A little what?" she asked when he didn't continue. He shuffled a little and reached for another tool, twirling it about between his fingers.

"I don't know," He paused and looked over at her, his face very serious. "Lois are you happy at the Planet?"

"Of course I am, it's my dream job."

"But if there was something else you could do, anything, would you do it?"

Where was he going with this? "Well that depends, I can't really see myself being anything other than a reporter. Clark, what's going on? Are you not happy?"

"I am happy it's just…sometimes I wonder if there's more you know?"

"More? Is this about what I said? Because I didn't mean that you don't do enough work here Clark, that's practically all I see when I come here. Usually you're always working on this old thing."

Clark frowned, but she could see a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "She's a classic. And no, it's nothing to do with that. I just sometimes wonder if there's more than farming for me. But then of course I feel bad because this farm has been in my family for generations and…"

"Clark, you know that if you want to do something more with your life, your dad would understand that."

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so. He wouldn't want you to stay working on this farm if it made you unhappy." She looked at him thoughtfully, an idea popping into her head. "Have you ever thought about reporting?"

"Me a reporter? I don't think so."

"Why not? You've got the gift as a writer, I've seen your work Smallville and its not half bad."

He smiled then, and she felt better for seeing it. Until he said. "Wait, was that a compliment?"

"Uh…"

"It was. Lois Lane just gave me a compliment."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, don't let it go to your head Smallville."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I never really thought about reporting, but I know that I want to do something."

"You should think about it." Then she added in a quiet voice, looking down at her swinging legs to avoid his eyes. "I think you'd be really good."

Clark smiled down at her, not knowing what to say to that.

"So how's work going?" he asked, walking up to the loft. She got up and followed him, parking herself on the sofa as he went about wiping his hands with a cloth.

She knew he was just trying to deflect from what was going on with him but Lois could respect that, she did it enough herself. "It's going great actually. I think I may even have a massive storyline in the making."

"Oh?"

He watched her as she sat forward on the edge of her seat, excitement twinkling in her eyes. "There have been several witness reports in the last two weeks all saying they caught a brief glimpse of our newest hero in Metropolis."

For a second, panic emerged. "Really? What did they see?"

"Nothing but a blur. No one could tell me what this guy looks like because no one's ever actually seen him face to face. He moves so fast all anyone can see is a blur of red and blue."

He glanced down at his clothes and released a breath, thankful that he wasn't wearing his usual colours today. He'd have to be more careful about that now that people were seeing him.

"A blur?" he asked, trying to sound sceptical.

"Yep, and he's making quite a statement too. He's helped more people in the last two weeks than the police have all year."

Clark couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face at Lois' excitement. Much like it had been back in the bullpen a couple of weeks ago, it was still contagious.

"Let me guess, you're after an interview with this guy?"

She tilted her head. "Naturally."

He frowned, not liking the idea of that. "Lois, what makes you think he wants any publicity? If no one has seen him so far, what makes you think he'd want to do an interview?"

"He hasn't met me yet, that's what." she replied confidently.

"Right but you don't even know who this guy is. He could be dangerous."

She scoffed. "Yeah he's a real terrorist. I mean it must take someone really evil to stop all those robberies and muggings."

"You don't have to be sarcastic, I'm just trying to look out for you."

Her smile faded as their eyes met and Clark felt the air electrify between them. Okay, this was getting weird, he thought.

"Well I'm a big girl Smallville I can handle it."

"I know you can," he replied quietly.

She shook her head and sat back. "So tell me something Clark. How come you haven't met up with Chloe, Oliver and me lately? I thought we had a pact to make sure we always make time for that."

"We do and I'm sorry I missed the last one but I was busy. We had a uh…problem with one of the cows that night, she was giving birth and it was a difficult one so I stayed to help dad out."

He inwardly winced at his own lie, hearing how bad it was. But she seemed to buy it.

"Well you really missed out, it was so much fun. I haven't laughed that hard in ages. But I guess giving birth to a cow beats that huh?" she laughed.

Clark shot her a mock glare. "You're too funny. Look, I promise I'll be there for the next one."

"You better be. Anyway, I guess I should get going," She stood up to leave but made no move towards the stairs. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He took a moment to just look at her, feeling the smile return. "Yeah Lois, I'm fine."

* * *

Later that evening, when everyone was in bed, Clark sat in his loft thinking. Lois' words kept playing over and over in his head and he couldn't help but wonder if she had a point. It wasn't that he was unhappy here, he just felt that maybe there was something else out there for him, besides helping people.

Like his mom said earlier, he deserved to take something for himself too. So maybe being a reporter wasn't such a bad idea.

He snorted. Clark Kent, reporter by day, saving people by night. He liked the sound of that.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four**_

"Wow Smallville, pulling out the big guns huh?" Lois quipped as Clark walked into the into the bullpen in a suit. She'd never seen him in a suit before, and it was strangely unnerving due to the fact that she didn't seem to be able to pull her eyes away from him. Adorably, she thought with distaste at herself, he straightened his tie and smiled nervously at her.

"Do I look okay?"

For moment, her mouth went dry. He was just so…not the Clark she was used to seeing. Then she shook her head and stood from behind her desk, crossing over to him to straighten the tie he'd somehow managed to knock off course. She cleared her throat and kept her eyes cast downwards.

"Well, that depends. If this is for an afternoon working on the farm then I'd say you're a little overdressed."

"Ha ha, no I mean it. Do I look like somebody you would hire?"

Lois chuckled and shrugged. "Well not me personally but…" Then it hit her. "Wait, you're going for a job here?"

"You don't have to sound so shocked Lois, it was your idea remember." he replied, slightly defensive as he sat on the edge of Chloe's desk and started rolling a pencil around his fingers. "I've been doing a lot of thinking and I think that maybe this is what I would like to do with my life. Besides, the three of us working together? Could be fun."

"Or we might end up killing each other." Lois was shocked she had to admit. She hadn't actually thought that Clark would go through with it. It had been three weeks since their little talk in the barn and he hadn't said a word to her about it since, not even when the four of them met up last Friday night. "Sorry Smallville I just didn't think you actually listened to a word I said, I thought you always tuned me out."

"Well, I usually try but it's hard to tune you out when you talk so much." He grinned at her, his playful manner reappearing and she felt better for being back on familiar ground with him. She had no idea what was going on with her lately but she couldn't seem to get him out of her head.

"Well maybe if you had more than a simple sentence to say at any time I wouldn't have to do all the talking, ever think about that?" She threw him a smirk and sat back down, swaying back and forth in her chair as she stared at him. "So what are you doing here now anyway?"

"I have an interview at eleven and I wanted to make sure I look my best. Where is Chloe anyway?"

Wow, that stung. She felt stupid because she knew it shouldn't, but it did. Did he not trust her to give him advice? Why was it always Chloe he went to first? _They've been best friends since high school Lois, get a grip. _Yeah but even though they still argued sometimes, she'd come to think of Clark as sort of a best friend too. Though she'd never admit that to him. Of course the real question was, why did it now bother her when it never did before.

"Lois?" Clark's voice broke through her thoughts, snapping her back to reality.

"Hmm?"

"I asked you where Chloe is."

"Oh right, she's out chasing down a lead."

"And you aren't with her?" he said, shocked eyebrows raising up. "What's wrong with you, what happened to Team Chlo-Lo?"

"There's nothing wrong with me Smallville, I have some last minute work to catch up on that's all."

His eyes skittered across her desk and landed on what she'd been working on. He chuckled, a deep resonating rumble in his chest that she rather liked the sound of.

"This is about the Red-Blue-Blur? You're still after that guy?"

"And why not, he's only the biggest story of the century right here in our very own city. How can you not be more excited about this Clark? You wanna be a reporter you need to start thinking like one."

"Lois…" he said, trying to interrupt the flow.

"However, our new hero seems to be very reluctant to step out of the shadows. Which I get, I totally do but really, would it kill the guy to just spare two minutes of his time so that I could at least get the tiniest quote?""Lois…"

"I mean really, the guy saves lives, you would think that would be something to be celebrated, not hidden. I don't want to expose him, I just want to know what his angle is. What he thinks about things, the way his mind works you know? But of course he just slips right through my fingers every time I try and get near. I get a hot lead and by the time I get there it's practically frozen and he's nowhere in sight."

"Lois, take a breath, you're rambling." he chuckled. She looked up at him to see him barely disguising a smile and for some reason, she thought he was making fun of her.

"He has super powers you know." She blurted out as she stood up and went over to the coffee machine.

"Huh?"

"The Red-Blue-Blur, he has powers. I talked to one guy who said that he just tapped this man on the head, one tap with one finger and he was out like a light." she said, clicking her fingers for emphasis. "Sounds dangerous to me." Clark interjected, though he couldn't deny that hearing Lois talk about himself like this was an experience. It was nice to finally be able to grab Lois' attention like this. Even if it was his other half that was doing it.

"Seems to me that he's pretty strong. Fast too, obviously." Her eyes seemed to focus on nothing as her mind drifted off into her own imagination and for a split second Clark had second thoughts. Maybe Lois was a little too invested in this.

"So you still don't know much about this guy then huh?" he asked, bringing her attention back to him.

"Well no, but it's early days yet Smallville, he hasn't been on the scene long. But don't worry, I'll get something."Now why did that worry him? Oh yeah, this was Lois. Pit-bull on a pant leg Lois. She wouldn't give up until he gave her what she wanted.

"I'm sure you will." He'd meant it to come out sincerely, but even he heard the tone of his voice. If he didn't know any better he would've thought he sounded jealous. But that was ridiculous, right? After all, what was there to be jealous of. Lois was his friend, nothing else.

"Don't you have an interview to get to?" she said, stirring her coffee.

"Uh yeah, I guess should go." He stood up and walked towards the door but he stopped with his hand on the handle and looked at Lois.

"Lois?"

She gave him a brief glance. "Hmm?

"Be careful with this guy okay? You don't really know anything about him." He knew how ironic he sounded since it was him they were talking about, but there was something about Lois' excitement that set alarm bells going off in his own head.

She flashed him a toothy grin. "Don't worry about me Smallville, once I get this story out, this Blur will be practically begging me to be his PA."

_I really doubt that, _he thought to himself. The last thing he needed was Lois getting herself into trouble because of him. But he had no time to worry about that now, he needed to get to his interview.

* * *

"So let me get this straight, Clark is going for a job at the Daily Planet," Oliver said, looking a little surprised. Chloe chuckled. "Yep, he wants to be a reporter. I suppose it makes sense, he was pretty good in high school."

"Huh, go figure, Clark Kent a reporter. So, not that I mind of course, but what's with the sudden invitation to lunch? You haven't asked before."

As they sat outside Metropolis' most popular café, the one she and Lois always went to, Chloe looked around the busy street, then back at Oliver. "Lois is there, Blur-hunting."

Oliver raised his eyebrows, clearly not seeing the problem. "And?"

"I didn't want to get in the way of it. It seems to be all she talks about lately." Chloe murmured.

"Well you know Lois, once she gets a hold of something she likes to see it through."

"Tell me about it. But that's not the sole reason for my disappearing act this morning." She took a sip of her coffee and then leaned her elbows on the table, propping her chin up on one hand.

"Then what is?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, surprised that he hadn't caught on yet. "Lois is in the bullpen, Clark is going for an interview."

"You're gonna have to spell this one out Chlo, I'm not really seeing a problem."

"If Clark gets this job, which I'm pretty sure he will, then he'll be working in the bullpen with me and Lois. How well do you think she's going to take the news that she has to share a workspace with the farm boy she claims to dislike so much?"

Oliver's brows bunched as he thought about it. "I see your point. And you didn't want to be caught in the crossfire."

"Finally he catches on." she laughed, throwing her hands in the air dramatically.

"Hey, I'll have you know I can be very intelligent. It's not all about the surfer body and charms you know."

Chloe fell silent as their eyes met and for a moment, the world around them didn't exist. She'd known Oliver a long time, and in all that time she'd never really taken a good look at him. Not this close anyway. He really was quite the heart stopper, she thought. Lately she'd found herself thinking about him, like more than she usually did and as she looked at him now, she couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed. She just knew that she was seeing him in a whole new light.

Abruptly, she cleared her throat and broke eye contact. It was stupid really, he would never be interested in her. He was Lois' kind of guy, the one who liked his women, well, like Lois. Except then, why did their relationship end?

"Chloe? You okay?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm good. I was just thinking about something."

"Care to share?" he asked, looking amused.

"Not really," she replied, her cheeks burning.

"Okaay, well…listen Chloe I'm glad you asked for this little lunch." He leaned forward, placing both hands on the table as he spoke.

"You are?"

"Yeah, we don't spend enough time together. I mean I know we go out with Lois and Clark but to be honest, sometimes it can get a little repetitive hearing them argue all the time."Chloe chuckled. "To be honest Ollie, I think there's something more to it than that. Have you ever known anyone to argue that much? They have a lot of heat and passion in those arguments, you have to admit."

Oliver sat back, a slow smile appearing as he thought. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, well, Lois and Clark huh? You think either of them have a clue?"

"Oh God no," Chloe shook her head, confident that neither her cousin or her best friend had any idea at all. "They have no idea."Oliver grinned, a slow smile that had Chloe's insides turning to mush. What was going on with her? Why was she all of a sudden acting like a schoolgirl with a crush?

"Should be fun then, watching it play out. We need to double date more often."

Chloe almost choked on her coffee. "Wh…what?"

"Yeah, you and me, Lois and Clark. It'll be fun and at least we'll get front row seats to all the main events."

Chloe tilted her head and looked at him, confused. She had no idea what he was trying to say but it was obvious that he wasn't just talking about Lois and Clark. "Ollie?"

Slowly, so slowly she thought the world had slowed down, he reached across the table and covered her hand with his. "Chloe, would you like to go out to dinner with me this evening?"

Chloe couldn't believe her ears. How had this happened? Just go with it Chloe, stop thinking. He's asking you out. "I'd uh…I'd love to."

"Excellent. I'll pick you up at seven."

"Where are we going?"

He tapped the side of his nose conspiratorially. "That's for me to know and you to find out."


	6. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

"Wow." Chloe grinned, standing in her apartment doorway at the Talon, silently pleased that she had managed to make Oliver's jaw drop. As his eyes drifted downwards, she resisted the urge to smooth down her turquoise-blue dress. She hadn't been sure what to wear, she didn't know where they were going and if there would be a dress code, so she'd opted for something that was casual, with her dress stopping just above her knees and showing a moderate amount of cleavage, but it could also pass for formal too if needed.

"You look amazing." He stepped inside and kissed her cheek, then brought his hand out from behind his back to display a gorgeous bunch of blood red roses. "I thought I'd go the traditional route tonight."

She took them from him and sniffed them, feeling a little unsure of herself. "They're beautiful, thank you."

He chuckled as she moved around the kitchen counter to find a vase to put them in. "You seem nervous."

She glanced over at him briefly, trying to keep her eyes off him for too long because she was afraid that her face would betray her. He was outstandingly handsome tonight, wearing a dark green, v-neck sweater with black trousers and a jacket to match. Casual, yet more if it needed to be. It struck her that he'd probably been just as unsure what to wear as she had been. "What? No, not at all." She stopped and let out a sigh. "Is it that obvious?"

He came around the counter and took her hand. "There's no need to be, this feels natural to me. I've wanted to ask you out for so long, I just wasn't sure it was the best thing to do."

As he came closer, she swallowed hard. "Why's that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Because I wasn't sure that you even thought about me in that way. I mean I have a brief history with your cousin, and I…well I just didn't know.""So what made you change your mind?"

"I don't know. I just looked at you and I thought, 'What if she does feel the same? What if I'm missing out on something…amazing?' So I just took my chance and if you shot me down, well, I would've let it go if that was what you really wanted, but I was prepared to put up a good argument."

Her heart was starting to race as he leaned his head down a little. "Um, sounds like you had this planned out pretty well."

He took her other hand and held them both over his chest, then flashed her a smile that made her face heat up, and she prayed that he wouldn't see it. "I really like you Chloe, I want to give us a chance and see where this goes."

She nodded but didn't reply because she wasn't sure she could trust her voice to get any sound out. He was so close. The scent of his cologne teased her senses, made her forget where she was for a moment. And then he pulled away and stepped out of reach. She turned her back to him for a few seconds to get her bearings and when she turned back, he was holding her jacket up. Smiling, she slipped into the sleeves and shivered when she felt his breath on her neck.

"Ready?" he asked."Where are we going?"

He opened the door and stood aside for her to walk out first. "You'll see when we get there."

* * *

Clark stopped just inside the doors of the Daily Planet's basement bullpen and smiled. It was fairly dark in here, with most of the employees already clocked out for the evening, but there was one person still there. As he'd known she would be. What he hadn't counted on was finding her draped across her desk, fast asleep. He'd been in Metropolis for most of the day, shopping for new clothes for his new job, collecting the spare parts that his dad wanted picking up, and also making a few saves here and there.

He'd planned on stopping by the Planet to see if Lois and Chloe wanted a ride home. He was their new partner after all. The three of them would be working as a team, the editor had thought it would be a good way for Clark to learn the ropes quickly. And he was glad that he would be working with them instead of strangers. He walked over to Lois' desk and paused, not wanting to wake her but knowing he had to. Next to her was a cold mug of coffee and half eaten maple donut.

He frowned as he looked at her, was she taking care of herself? Working this hard, he couldn't imagine she had much time to eat healthy meals and for some reason, that concerned him. Her new fascination with the Blur was unnerving, she was putting off her other articles in favour of getting one with him. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to put himself out there like that. But then again, doing what he did, people were bound to talk sooner or later. And Lois being Lois, was obviously going to land the story.

He crouched down next to her and put his hand, lightly, on her arm. "Lois."

She stirred a little but didn't wake. She looked exhausted, how many hours had she done today, or all week for that matter? "Lois, wake up."

"Smallville." she murmured. Her eyes fluttered a little but then stayed closed. Acting on pure instinct, Clark put one arm under her legs, and the other around her back and lifted her up. Her head rested against his shoulder and as he grabbed her bag, he had a fleeting thought that it felt right, somehow it felt natural. And that was a scary thought.

Aside from the occasional comforting hug, their friendship didn't really consist of a lot of body contact and from the fluttering he felt in his chest as she snuggled against him, he thought that maybe that was not a bad idea after all. What was going on? Was he starting to have feelings for his friend? Maybe, but how on earth had that happened? And when?

"Uh Clark?" He looked down to see her eyes open and she was now very much awake as she looked at him like he was kidnapping her. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged sheepishly, because there was really no explaining his way out of this one. "Um, you looked so tired and I thought…"

"Chivalry noted but you can put me down now. I can walk you know," she replied, but her tone wasn't harsh or mean, it was quite soft. But she looked a little startled, like a rabbit caught in the headlights as if she didn't quite know how to deal with this situation.

"I know." He set her down and handed her bag to her. She took it and stared at him in confusion.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"I came to see if you and Chloe wanted a ride home. Where is Chloe anyway?"

Lois tilted her head from side to side to work out the kink in her neck. "I don't know. She took off earlier saying there was something she needed to do and that she was out for the evening. Maybe she has a date."

He raised an eyebrow. "Chloe?"

"Don't look so shocked Smallville, Chloe is allowed to date you know." Lois replied as she turned off her desk lamp and grabbed a folder off her desk. She started heading out of the door, with Clark following behind.

"I know that, it's just…well she never mentioned anything."

"I'm sure she doesn't tell you _everything_. There are some things a girl can't tell a guy, even if he is her best friend."

Clark nodded but didn't reply. He wondered who Chloe could be out on a date with. She hadn't mentioned anything about any guys to him recently. But maybe Lois was right. Maybe Chloe didn't want to tell him just yet.

"So do you want a ride home?" Clark asked as they got out onto the street.

She shook her head, leaving him feeling strangely disappointed. "I have my car. But…thanks. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Clark?" She stopped and turned around.

"Yeah?"

"You'll do great tomorrow, I know it. After all, you're with the Chlo-Lo Team, what can go wrong." He chuckled as he watched her walk to her car, waited until she'd safely driven away and the headed back to his truck. Tomorrow was a big day and he wanted to make a good impression. Though on whom, he wasn't sure.

* * *

"So, honest truth, you hated it didn't you?" Oliver asked as he and Chloe walked down the sidewalk in Smallville, towards the Talon where she lived with Lois. "What?""The restaurant. It wasn't really your thing was it?" He nudged her playfully with his elbow as both his hands were in his pockets. She pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders to ward off the chill of the evening. It was getting late and although she knew her cousin, she didn't want to leave it to chance that she would still be at the Planet. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't want Lois to know about this just yet.

"No I loved it, really. I just didn't know that I would have to order from a menu that I couldn't even read. But honestly," She laid a hand on his arm, stopping him. "I had a wonderful time."Oliver narrowed his eyes and stared at her for a minute, but then his face lit up into a smile. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and continued walking.

"Okay, well next time I promise to take you somewhere with an English menu. I thought you could read Italian anyway."

"Reading it and speaking it are two very different things. And I only know what I learnt in high school." She paused and stared at him. "Wait, next time?"

"Yeah, I know it's a little presumptuous of me but, I know I wouldn't mind doing this again. I had a really great time with you tonight."

She smiled and it pleased her to hear him say that. "So did I. And I would definitely love to do this again."

They walked a little way in silence, and she loved that it felt comfortable, that neither of them felt they had to say something to fill the void.

"So Clark got the job huh?" he asked.

"Yeah. He starts tomorrow. I'm sure Lois is just thrilled that he's going to be a part of our team."

"Give her time, she'll get used to it. Speaking of Lois, you didn't tell her you were going out with me tonight did you?"

"No. And I'm not going to. Not yet anyway. I just want this for me right now, does that make sense? I want something that no one else knows about just yet."

"So we're not telling people?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It's not that I don't want to. I do. But I just want to spend time with you, alone. If they know, they'll ask questions and I'm not ready for that yet."

"This isn't about Lois is it? You're not afraid that she won't approve?" he asked cautiously.

"No, I'm not worried about that at all." she replied, confidently. For whatever reason, somehow, she knew Lois would be okay with it. "I think Lois would be happy for me. And for you. She still cares about you, and I know that you still care about her."

"We'll always care about each other. She's one of my closest friends. We will tell he though, eventually, right?"

"Of course. But Ollie, we've only been on one date. I want us to be 'just us' for a little while okay?"

He smiled, flashing her those pearly whites. "Okay."

They walked down the alley that led in to the back of the Talon and paused at the doorway. Oliver took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles in a very gentlemanly way that sent her heart fluttering. She silently cursed herself for turning into one of those girls. The ones whose heart rates went up every time a guy even looked at her. But this was Oliver, and he was…too much for words right now.

"How's Friday night?"

"Hmm?" She'd been so lost in his gaze that she didn't even realise what he was talking about. "Oh right, uh, yeah that sounds great."

He leaned in a little, and for a second she thought he was going to kiss her. But instead, and rather disappointingly, he just kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight Chloe."

"Goodnight Ollie." She felt warm and fuzzy knowing that he was waiting for her to go inside before he left. As she opened the door to the apartment above the coffee shop, she let out a quiet sigh of relief when it appeared that Lois wasn't home yet. She walked into the bedroom and flopped down onto the bed, feeling happier than she could remember.


	7. Chapter 6

**_Chapter Six_**

Clark paused at the bottom of the stairs leading into the Daily planet's bullpen. He was more than a little nervous. Today was his first day as a reporter and although he was looking forward to it, he didn't know what would be expected of him.

He stood there watching as people bustled around busily in front of him, then jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you lost, handsome?" A young woman asked him. She had shoulder length, blonde hair, and a smile just as bright. But her eyes had a predatory gleam that he kind of wanted to stay clear of.

"Uh no, thank you," he replied politely.

"Oh well, that's good to hear." She held out her hand. "My name's Catherine. But you can call me Cat. I run the gossip column here."

"Clark Kent." he replied, shaking her hand, but she lingered a little longer after the handshake was done. He carefully pulled his hand back and smiled at her.

"Say, if you're new here, how about a little tour? I'd be happy to show you around."

"That would be great but…"

"Excellent. I'm guessing you want to get to work right now so how about you come find me at lunch and I'll give you the tour?" she said, her eyes slowly working their way up and down his entire body.

Clark shifted nervously in his stance, he wasn't comfortable with women flirting like this with him. Mainly because he wasn't used to it, and also because he didn't see himself as the kind of man a woman like Cat would want to flirt with. He was just a farm boy.

"I don't know about that Cat, I am a little busy today."

She shook her head, still flashing that sparkling smile that no doubt would've turned other men on. But it had no affect on him.

"I won't take no for an answer Clark."

"Oh sorry Cat, Clark's with me today. And I have a lot for him to get done."

Cat's smile froze and locked in place as she turned to see Lois standing behind them.

"Lois." she said on a sigh. "Little early for you to be at work isn't it?"

Lois smirked at her and turned to Clark. What was that look in her eyes? She looked annoyed, or aggravated at the very least. He couldn't have done something already could he? But as she looked back at Cat, he could see the animosity in her eyes grow stronger. It was pretty clear these two women didn't like each other.

But then she turned and pinned her gaze back on him. Her eyes flitted briefly down to what he was wearing and he could swear he saw approval in that glance. But she looked away too quickly for him to tell.

"Hey Smallville. You gonna stand there all day, or are you actually gonna do some work?"

"Uh yeah, sorry Cat. Maybe another time?"

"Yeah, sure thing handsome." she replied, though her icy stare was fully locked on Lois, who didn't even notice. Chuckling, Lois walked ahead of him, into the bullpen, dropped her folders on her desk and went straight to the coffee machine.

"Want one?" she offered with a smile that made him think that she was enjoying his discomfort a little too much.

He fiddled with his tie, to distract himself. "No thanks, I already had some."

"So…" she started. "I see you met Cat." There it was again, that look. He couldn't figure out what it was.

"Yeah, she seemed…nice."

Lois snorted. "Yeah, she's real nice. If you happen to be a good looking guy that is. She simply doesn't bother with anyone else. And you're welcome by the way, for the rescue."

Clark ignored that part and focused on what she'd said before it. Because it had caught his attention. "You think I'm good looking?"

Her eyes went wide. "What? No."

"But you just said…"

"Never mind what I said." she huffed. "Let's just get to work. You are here to work you know, it's not like visiting me and Chloe, where you just sit there and talk, you actually have to do something Smallville." She was rambling. Something she did when _she_ was nervous.

And then he figured out what that look was. She was jealous. He would've laughed out loud if he could but he kept it inside. The very notion of Lois being jealous over some woman flirting with _him_, was ludicrous. But then, why did she seem jealous? He didn't know, but he would very much like to find out.

Lois, taking his silence to mean something else, chuckled at him. "Boy, you are nervous aren't you?"

"No," he said defensively. "I'm just new. I'm sure you remember what your first day was like."

"Hmm, not really. I mean I just dived straight in with a story. And that's exactly what you need to do. Here." she walked back to her desk and sat down. She flipped through the folders until she found one and then handed it to him. "You should start small, but you gotta start somewhere, right?"

"An obit?" he asked, frowning down at the document in his hands. Somehow he hadn't thought his first article would be writing a few paragraphs about the life of someone he'd never even met.

She smiled. "Of course, you didn't think you were gonna get a front page story on your first day did you?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know what to expect at the moment."

Lois' smug expression softened into one of what he thought was genuine sympathy, which surprised him a little.

"Look Smallville, just start with the obit, you'll be fine. You'll be in the big leagues before you know it. Especially with me and Chloe looking out for you."

"You're looking out for me?" he asked, causing her to stop and rethink what she'd just said. He saw her frown and wondered what she was thinking.

For a split second, their eyes met and locked on to each other, and Clark felt that sizzle again, like the one in the barn. Whatever it was, it was intense, he could practically feel the air electrify around them. Like they were in their own little bubble. But Lois broke it by turning back to her computer.

"Well, not all of us need babysitting Clark." Ah, there it was, the familiar banter. He'd hit a nerve there for sure. She nodded towards the empty desk opposite hers, a desk that now had his name plate on it. It was a strange feeling. "Come on Smallville, get to work."

"What are you working on?"

She tapped the side of her nose. "Ah, never you mind. But let's just say, its Pulitzer worthy."

He scoffed as he sat down and started his own computer up. "You say that about all your articles."

"Well that's because most of them are." She looked from side to side to make sure there were no ears around and then leaned forward. "If you must know, I'm working on my Blur article."

Clark's head snapped up. "What? You uh, you got an interview already?"

She huffed out a sigh. "No, not yet but I'm telling you, it's only a matter of time. He can't stay in hiding forever and the more people that know about him, the more they want answers."

"About what?"

"About who he is, where he came from. Where he grew up, what his name is. That sort of thing. This guy has powers, that means the majority of the public are going to be sceptical about his intentions and whether or not he really is here to help. Meteor infected people haven't exactly gotten a good rep lately. I just want to help him, that's all. Make the transition a little easier, for both him and the public."

Clark shook his head, amazed at her determination. But she was right. He hadn't thought about it from that angle. His presence was making an impact and people were bound to have questions. It was only right for them to be a little sceptical. People were generally afraid of things they didn't understand.

"Clark?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?"

"Sorry, I uh…"

She chuckled. "Thinking about your new friend back there? Or is the obit giving you trouble already? Aw, poor Smallville."

He threw her a smirk and opened his email account. "No actually I just read a message saying HR wants to see me in an hour."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Ah don't worry about that. It's just signing forms and getting the details right. Nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm not afraid Lois. Will you stop treating me like a child on his first day of school, please?" he said, a little sharper than he'd meant to. But she brought that side out in him, she always had. She also brought out a competitive side that he didn't know he had until he'd met her. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Okay, sorry. Geez, untwist your boxers Smallville." she replied, snidely. "And while you're at it, you might wanna remove whatever's stuck up your-"

"Okay, I get it! Thank you." he interrupted quickly before she could finish what she'd been about to say.

"That's what I'm here for." she replied, albeit with a serious face. Great, he'd only been here half an hour and already he'd put his foot in it.

He sighed, feeling bad for snapping but she wouldn't listen if he tried to apologise now so he decided to change the subject. "So where's Chloe?"

She stopped smiling and shook her head. "I swear you ask me that every time you see me. Do you really have it that bad for her, or is it just my company that offends you?"

She obviously hadn't intended for that to come out because her face looked as shocked as Clark felt. Where had that come from?

"What are you talking about? I was just curious, seeing as I'm supposed to be working with the two of you and she isn't here yet."

She gave him a sheepish smile and hid her face behind her computer monitor, where he couldn't see her.

"I don't know where she is. She was already asleep when I got in last night and she wasn't there when I woke up. I don't even know if her date went okay."

"It went perfectly, thank you Lo." Chloe said as she walked in with a wide smile plastered on her face. She sat down at her desk, which was directly next to Lois' and began to work.

Lois and Clark shared a glance and then Lois said. "Uh, Chlo?"

"Yeah."

"Where were you when I woke up this morning? You're over a half hour late for work and that just isn't like you."

"I was having breakfast with someone." she replied, without looking in their direction.

"Anyone I know?" Lois asked.

"Nope. So what's on the agenda for today?" she said with a clap of her hands. _She looks so happy, _Clark thought. _That's good._  
_  
_And with that, the conversation was officially ended. Clark wondered why she was being so secretive. What was she hiding that she felt she couldn't tell her own cousin and best friend. He'd never known Chloe to have secrets before.

Lois waited for a few moments, to see if Chloe would say anything else but she didn't. "Uh well, Smallville here is starting on an obit, he's already dating Cat Grant, and I'm going out to follow up on a lead."

"What lead?" "He's doing an obit?" Both Chloe and Clark spoke at the same time so Lois chose not to answer either question.

"Have fun guys." She grabbed her stuff and left, leaving Chloe alone with Clark.

"Wait a second. Did she just say you were dating…?"

Clark held up his hand to stop her, rolling his eyes as he replied. "Cat just introduced herself and offered to show me around the Planet, that's all. But Lois has been acting a little weird about it. Does she not like Cat?"

Chloe laughed. "Well there's no love lost there, I can assure you. But I don't think that's why she's acting 'weird', as you put it."

"Then why?"

She shook her head. "You really are clueless aren't you?"

"About what?"

"Nothing, never mind. Well, looks like it's just you and me. Just like the good old days, huh?" she said with a smile. He tried to return it but his mind was too busy wondering what lead Lois could be chasing and if it was about the Blur. He didn't like the idea of her putting herself out there alone for…well for him, really. She could get seriously hurt.

"Yep." he replied distractedly.

"Well, I think I might have something a little more interesting than an obit for you. I was going to ask for your help anyway. I need someone else's perspective on this and Lois is a little…busy right now."

"I thought you two always worked as a team?"

"We do, but sometimes we have articles that don't require both of our attentions. Besides, we'd never get anywhere in this business if we relied on each other all the time."

He was about to ask why then, did she need _his _help, but he shut his mouth. She was obviously just doing it to help ease him into working here. She was being a friend rather than a co-worker.

"Uh, sure thing. But I have a meeting with HR soon and I just need to make a few calls before I go up there." He got up and grabbed his jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll be back soon. I just have something I need to take care of." Then he left before Chloe could ask anything else.

* * *

Lois got into her car and started the engine, but sat there not moving for a few minutes. Her mind was going over what had happened in the bullpen with Clark. He usually shot something back at her when she was teasing him, but he didn't outright snap at her. Well not usually anyway and she had to admit that it had stung just a tiny little bit.

What was that all about?

Maybe he was just stressed out. Whatever, she didn't particularly want to be hanging around him this morning anyway. There had been something there when they'd looked at each other. Something she couldn't define, but she knew it was there.

It was a little unnerving because she'd felt like some kind of invisible hand was pushing her towards him. Like she was drawn to his gaze like a moth to a flame. Which of course, was ridiculous. Wasn't it? But then why did she act the way she had when Cat had been with him?

She didn't have an explanation, but seeing Cat trying to get her claws into Clark had brought out a protective streak in Lois. She told herself it was because he was a naïve farm boy and too good hearted for the likes of Cat Grant. But in truth, she knew that wasn't it. She'd been jealous. And she hated that. That just wasn't her.

Shaking her head, she put her car into gear and pulled out into the traffic. Stupid Clark Kent and his adorable face that attracted way too many women. Every day she'd seen women looking at him, eyeing him and every day, she'd hated it. Clark wasn't a piece of meat.

But of course, her reaction was what the real problem was. She had feelings for him and it was probably time that she admitted it. But once she did, there was no going back. And that did not bode well for anyone now that they were all working together.

With a heavy sigh, she turned left at some traffic lights. She didn't really have a lead to check up on but she'd needed the excuse to get away for a few hours. Though she did plan to talk to a few more witnesses who had claimed to have seen the Blur.

Most of the ones she'd interviewed so far didn't see as much as she'd hoped or they were simply lying to get their fifteen minutes of fame. She so hoped that wasn't the case today. She needed something, otherwise her editor was going to take her off the case and she'd been reluctant to let her on it in the first place. She thought she wasn't ready for this, but she'd prove her wrong.

As she drove to the address of the nearest witness, her car hit a patch of ice that hadn't melted from the night before yet, and sent it into a tailspin. She shrieked and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands but the car was out of control. Just as she was about the smash into another car, hers came to a sudden, complete stop.

She sat frozen, breathing heavily, her hands still gripping the wheel so hard her knuckles were turning white. Willing her racing heart to slow a little, she glanced around, hearing the shouts of the man in the car she'd almost hit.

But she wasn't paying attention to his angry ranting, because in the alley nearby, someone was watching her. Someone surrounded by shadows so dark that she couldn't see him, only a hint of red and blue, but he was there alright.

It was _him_. He'd saved her.

She reached for the door handle, and leapt out of the car, but by the time she got there, he was already gone. Her eyes searched every inch of the alley, but he was simply…gone.

With a feeling of elation, she got back into her car, reversed and headed back to the Planet. The only witness right now, whose story she wanted to write, was her own. Boy, was her editor going to flip.


	8. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven**_

"You're kidding me with this, right Lane? This is fantastic!"

Lois stood in front of her editor's desk, smiling proudly as she proof read her article about her encounter with the Blur that morning. The look on her face as she read her story was enough satisfaction for Lois right now. It took a lot to impress her editor, but she had finally managed it.

"Nope, every word of that is true."

"This guy actually rescued you. You saw him?"

"Yes, well sort of."

"Then why the hell didn't you get a quote?" she asked, slapping the pages down on her desk. "Come on Lois, I gave you more credit than that. You do whatever it takes to get the story, you always have. So what's changed?"

"He was gone before I even got out of the car," she started but the woman waved her hand.

"I don't want to hear excuses Lane. I want an interview, get one."

That was her dismissal, Lois knew. But she held her ground, she wasn't going to let this woman, no matter how hard-faced she was, intimidate her. Not Lois Lane.

"No one has been working harder to get a quote out of this guy. But we might have to face facts that he simply doesn't want the recognition. And why should we keep pestering him if he doesn't want it?"

Pauline Kahn, her editor, looked at her as if she'd just spoken an entirely different language that she didn't understand.

"Did I misjudge you when I hired you Lois? I thought I hired a reporter who would do anything to get the scoop. Ruthless, ambitious. Tell me, is that you? Or not?"

It was a challenge, but one Lois couldn't take up because she simply had no way of getting what she wanted. How on earth was she supposed to make the Blur appear on demand. And even if she somehow managed that, how would she get him to even talk to her. It was pretty clear he was a loner.

"Guess not." Pauline replied, sighing. "Well, I guess this'll have to do for now. But you have one week."

"One week for what?" she asked, dreading her answer, but she knew what was coming.

The middle-aged woman lowered her glasses and gave Lois an impatient look. "One more week to get the interview, or you're off the case."

"You can't do that."

"Can't I? You wanna try your luck on that one?"

Lois shook her head, knowing full well when she was beaten. "I'll get it."

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that."

"I said I'll get it." she said tersely, catching and holding Pauline's eyes. She simply nodded in return and waved her hand for Lois to leave, which she did, fast.

* * *

She stormed back down to the bullpen and just as she was about to go through the doors, she crashed into a wall of hard muscle. Two hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her as she bounced back but she was too busy staring into those blue eyes. Had they always been so blue?

"Whoa, where's the fire?" Clark asked, chuckling slightly as he let her go.

"Huh? Oh nowhere." She frowned as she stepped around him and headed to her desk. "What are you still doing here Smallville? Aren't there cows to be milking?"

Clark perched himself on the edge of her desk and smiled down at her. She wished he would stop doing that. It was very hard to think when he was so close. And today he smelled extra good, which was also a bad thing. What the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn't she stop thinking about him?

Frustrated, she threw up her hands and glared at him. "Seriously, what are you still doing here?"

"I was just leaving actually. I just finished up. But what are you still doing here?"

"Pauline was working late and I was showing her my article for tomorrow. I think it might make the front page."

"That's great! Isn't it?" he asked with a curious glance.

"Yeah of course, but she's being unreasonable. She expects me to have an interview with the Blur within the next week or I'm off the case. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let anyone else get in there first."

Clark chuckled. She couldn't believe it, he found this funny? "I'm so glad my anguish is a source of amusement for you."

"Lois, don't you think you're being a little dramatic. I'm sure you'll get an interview with this guy soon. You never know,"

"That's just it, I don't know!" She stood up and walked over to the coffee machine, only to find that it was switched off now. _Great_. "I know maybe I'm taking this too seriously but I really think that I can help this guy."

"What if he's not looking for help?" Clark asked, suddenly standing right behind her.

"What are you, his rep now? You know, you sound just like Pauline, she doesn't think that I have what it takes to get this article."

"I never said that." he said, looking offended. "You're…well, you're Lois. I know you."

"Do you now?" she replied sarcastically but something in the way he was looking at her made her stop and wonder what he was thinking. His eyes were locked on hers, then they drifted down to her lips and back up to her eyes again.

"I like to think I've gotten to know you pretty well over the past few years. You did live with me after all." He spoke softly, his eyes warm and attentive and strangely mesmerizing.

She didn't even realise that both their heads were slowly moving forwards until her lips met his. They were so soft and warm, everything she'd thought they would be. But then she realised what she was doing and quickly reared back.

"Sorry…I'm…I didn't…" She couldn't believe she'd just kissed him. How humiliating! She ran towards her desk, grabbed her bag and bolted out of the door. She could hear him shouting her name but she didn't turn back.

* * *

  
Clark stood in the doorway, watching her run out onto the street with his x-ray vision. What had just happened? He was so confused. Lois had just kissed him. Out of nowhere, she kissed him. Or had he kissed her first? Honestly, he didn't know.

It was a complete shock to his system but as he stood there, with the feel of her lips still on his, he didn't mind in the slightest. After all, it had been something he'd been thinking about most of the day. He'd wondered what it would feel like to kiss her.

Well, he didn't exactly know now, because it hadn't really been a kiss, she'd pulled away too quickly for that. But something was there. Both for him and her, he just knew it. Now the question was, what should he do about it? Should he go after her? Probably not, this was Lois. She would be running and hiding tonight.

But he'd made his mind up. Tomorrow, he was going to talk to her, and ask her out.

This new found confidence lasted all of about twenty seconds, then the familiar 'what if's' kicked in. What if she said no? What if what she'd just done had been a mistake and she didn't really feel anything? No, he refused to believe that. From the way she'd been looking at him, he knew something was there. So he would ask and hope for the best.

As he reached the stairs, still smiling, he heard a woman screaming. She was being attacked. His smile fell as he changed into his red and blue and sped out of the door.

* * *

Lois heard the scream about a block away so she got into her car and drove in that direction. She couldn't really see anything when she parked and got out but she could still hear her. Someone was in trouble. She didn't really know what she could do but she couldn't stand by as someone suffered.

She dashed off towards a dark alley where she could hear signs of a struggle and stopped dead. Two big thugs were pinning a terrified looking young woman against the wall. One of them had his hand up her shirt, the other one was holding her arms and laughing. Lois felt sick to her stomach. She hated lowlifes like this.

"Leave her alone!" she yelled, without really thinking. As they turned in her direction, she paused, reaching inside her pocket for her cell phone. _Nice one Lois. Now what?_

"Well, looks like someone wants to join the party." The guy holding the woman's arms said, smiling at Lois in a way that made her skin crawl.

"I said leave her alone."

"And what are you gonna do if we don't, huh sweet cheeks?" He nodded to his buddy, and left him holding the woman as he started towards Lois. He held both hands out in a mocking gesture. "Nothing to say? No witty retort?"

"Step away from the ladies." Lois heard a dark, booming voice come from somewhere behind her. But when she turned around, no one was there. There was a brief flash, and a whoosh of wind, and then the two guys were suddenly on the ground.

Unconscious.

Lois' wide eyes took a sweep of the alley, but it was way too dark to see anything, or anyone. She looked over at the woman, who had her arms crossed and her hands gripping tightly to her shoulders. She was absolutely terrified. As much as she wanted to find whoever had saved them, she had to check on her first.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked softly, approaching her.

"I…I…" she was so shook up she could barely get a word out.

"It's okay, you're safe now. Come on, let's get out of here and call the cops before those creeps wake up." She put an arm around the woman's shoulders and led her out of the alley, and over to her car. Once they were safely inside, Lois locked the doors and called for the police. All of a sudden, the woman reached out and grabbed Lois' hand.

"They were going to…Oh my God." She started sobbing and her face took on a pale quality that had Lois slightly worried.

"It's okay."

Her eyes met Lois' and she could see the pure fear there, but also, a hint of surprise. "He saved us. Who…who was that?"

"That's what I would like to know." Lois replied, looking back at the alley.

* * *

A little while later, Lois watched as the men were shoved into the back of a police cruiser and the woman, whose name was Amanda, was escorted home. And only then did she let out a shaky, relieved, breath.

It didn't really occur to her until now that she had been in just as much danger as that woman but she wouldn't have done anything different. She would still have gone in there, though maybe in hindsight she should've waited for the police. But by the time they arrived, Amanda would've been long gone.

Just as she was getting back into her car, the payphone on the sidewalk next to it, started ringing. She glanced around, there was no one there. Deciding to ignore it, she got into her car and it soon stopped. But just as she was about to strike up her engine, it started ringing again.

And it kept going until finally, her curiosity got the best of her and she got out of the car to answer it. "Hello?"

"You must be more careful, Miss Lane. You could've been hurt tonight."

That dark voice. It was him. But it sounded strange, like it wasn't really normal. Like it was distorted, and then it occurred to her that he was using a voice modulator or something along those lines. He obviously didn't want her to know his real voice. She could understand his request for anonymity.

Lois found herself smiling. "It's you. You're the Red-Blue-Blur." She shook her head at herself, could she sound any more like a groupie.

"Yes." he replied. Lois' mind was bursting with questions, so much so that she couldn't think of where to start.

"Thank you, you know, for the save."

"You're welcome but please, don't go walking down any more dark alleys."

Lois frowned a little. "I won't but uh…I have to ask, why the sudden interest in my safety? I don't even know who you are."

"Let's just say I'm a friend. You seem to get yourself into a lot of sticky situations." He paused and she could hear him take a deep breath. "I'm aware of your work at the Daily Planet, Miss Lane, you're very good at what you do."

As he spoke, Lois' gaze swept over the buildings around her, he was here, watching her but she couldn't see him anywhere. She wasn't sure whether to feel good about that or if it was a little creepy. But for some reason, on some level, she just knew that she could trust him. It was like an instinct.

"Tell that to my editor." she scoffed.

This was unbelievable, she'd been waiting for weeks to even catch a glimpse of this guy and then all of a sudden he'd saved her twice in one day, and now he was calling her. It was a little surreal.

"Would it be too presumptuous of me to ask who you are?" Silence. "Right, I get it. You can't tell me. That's okay, it was worth a shot. But I have to tell you that you are making quite an impression on this city. People are becoming more and more aware of what you're doing."

"I take it that's a good thing?" he asked.

"I think so, for the most part. But there will always be a few people who don't like something they can't understand."

"Then it's a good thing I've contacted the city's most tenacious reporter to set them all straight isn't it?" She was sure if she could hear his real voice she would've heard humour in there.

She smiled, feeling a little shy, which for Lois Lane, was a first. How could someone she didn't even know do that to her, through a phone no less. Then it hit her. "Wait, you want me to write…?"

"I want you to write my story. I want you tell the world that I am only here to help those who need it. I'm not a danger to anyone, and I don't want anything from anyone. I just want to help."

"That's pretty…noble of you." Lois said, impressed with his attitude.

"I figure that the public deserves to know who I am. Well, almost who I am. There are some secrets that need to be kept."

"Right, I understand that. You can rely on me. But uh, how are we going to do this? I can't exactly write everything you say down, in a phone booth."

There was a pause on the other end, a long pause, that made her think he'd hung up. But then he said. "How about I call you at your apartment? Would that be okay Miss Lane?" _Miss Lane_. She liked him saying that. It was nice.

"Uh, yeah, that works for me." she replied, and then for a split second, she forgot her own number.

"Miss Lane?"

"Please, call me Lois."

There was another deep breath. "Lois. Are you okay? You weren't hurt tonight were you?"

"No, no I'm fine. You got there just in time, that poor woman…I don't even want to think about what those guys were up to."

"Well, they won't be getting up to anything where they're headed." His voice, even modified as it was, made her feel safe. Which was crazy right? She wasn't sure.

"Uh, well you know my name, is there anything besides the Red-Blue-Blur, that I can call you? Because I have to say it's a bit of a mouthful." she chuckled and grimaced when, to her ears at least, it came out sounding way too girly.

"Kal-El is my birth name, but you can call me Kal."

"Kal, I like that." She gave him her home phone number, hoping that she wasn't giving it to a stalker, and then hesitated. She didn't want to hang up, but she knew she had to. "I guess I'll talk to you later."

"Soon. Goodnight Miss Lane, and please, stay out of trouble." And then he was gone.

Lois stood with the phone in her hand for a few minutes, processing everything she'd just heard. He was real. The Red-Blue-Blur was a real, polite, gentle person. She hadn't been sure what to expect with her previous experience of meteor infected people in Smallville.

From what she'd seen, nearly all of them turned out bad. But maybe there were a few that were good and wanted to use their powers to help instead of hurt.

She climbed back into her car and drove home, smiling all the way. She hadn't felt this excited in a long time.

But when she reached her apartment and locked herself in, another memory popped into her head and with it came the embarrassment again.

How was on earth was she going to face Clark tomorrow?


	9. Chapter 8

_**Chapter Eight**_

"So…what does this mean exactly?" Chloe asked as she and Clark sat in Café Metro at lunch the next day. Lois had declined their offer in favour of planning out her interview with the Blur. "You know she's writing down about a thousand questions right now?"

Clark pressed his hands to his face. "Yes, I know. But what else was I supposed to do Chloe? She's been working so hard trying to get an interview and she was there last night. She saw me."

Chloe scoffed before taking a sip of her coffee. "For your sake I hope not."

"You know what I mean. But do you think I'm doing the right thing? Going public I mean."

Chloe put her cup down and looked at him. "Well, what do you think you should do? What feels right to you?"

"I don't know. I know that helping people is important, it's what I was sent here for. But at the same time, I need to safeguard my identity. Maybe this article is just the thing I need. Lois will do a great job, I'm sure of it. She'll help the public see that I'm not a threat, that I have good intentions, and she'll do all that without knowing who I really am."

Chloe was watching him with a strange expression now. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing, it's just…how long have you had feelings for my cousin?"

Clark spat his coffee out and started coughing. "What?"

"Oh come on Clark, it's as clear as day that you like her." Chloe said with a grin. She was enjoying this, he thought.

"That's…well, I mean…" he stammered, not knowing what to say.

She smiled sweetly and then put on her best puppy face. "Come on Clark, I'm your best friend, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

Clark blinked. "You wanna play that card? Okay sure, tell me who you're dating and I'll tell you the truth."

That shut her right up. "Yeah, that's what I thought. But seriously Chloe, this guy, he's good right?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, defensively.

"He's a good guy isn't he? He won't hurt you?"

"Oh, no he would never hurt me. He's…" A dreamy look appeared in her eyes and Clark was curious to know who she was thinking about. "He's the best. You'd really like him."

Something in the way she chuckled had him wondering if he already knew this guy.

"Well, as long as you're happy. That's really all that matters." He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. She looked down at them and smiled.

"I am. Very happy."

"Good."

Chloe narrowed her eyes. "But Clark, take my advice, if you truly like Lois, don't wait. Tell her how you feel. You never know," she said with a wink. "She might like you back."

"But what if she doesn't?" He realised with that question he'd just confirmed everything Chloe had suspected.

"Something tells me she does. But there's really only one way to find out isn't there?"

He nodded and smiled. "So, what am I going to do about this interview?"

"Well, you're going to call her aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"How did you call her without her recognising your voice last night?" she asked with a frown.

"Oliver hooked me up with an untraceable phone and voice modifier."

"Ah, that makes sense."

Clark looked at her for a long moment, smiling. "I want to do this Chloe. I want her to know, even if I can't tell her who I am."

Chloe nodded. "I get that, I do. But Clark, just be careful."

* * *

Lois walked into her apartment later that evening, and plonked herself down on the sofa. Man, it had been a long day. The tension in the air when she'd seen Clark at work had been intense, to say the least. All day he kept staring at her, and she'd found it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes off him as well.

Yet neither of them mentioned the brief kiss they'd shared last night. The topic of conversation stayed on work and nothing else. The fact that Cat had come around, flirting like crazy with him, had only made things worse. And Clark hadn't exactly pushed her away.

Lois hated being jealous, but she could no longer deny that that wasn't what she was feeling. Yep, she had feelings for Clark alright. But from the looks she'd been getting from Chloe, it was clear that her cousin knew something was up. She was far too smart for her own good sometimes.

Deciding to take a nice, long, hot bath to improve her mood, Lois walked into the bathroom and started the water and went to get one of her magazines to read. Her phone started ringing just as she reached the bedroom.

"Hello?"

"Hello Lois."

"It's you." she breathed, her excitement at hearing his voice, going up. It was him, the Red-Blue-Blur.

"How are you?" His voice was deep, altered she knew, but still…_him_.

"I'm excellent thanks. How are you?"

"I'm good. Is this a good time to talk?"

"Yes, of course it is. I have to admit, I've been waiting for you to call. Are you still sure about your interview?"

"Lois, there's no one better I can think of that could write this."

Her smile threatened to split her face, it was so wide. "You've read my work?"

"Yes, I've read a lot of your articles. That's why I chose you."

She grabbed a pen and some paper and sat down at the table. "Okay then, would you like to start now?" Then, realising how that sounded, she grimaced. "Sorry, I'm not normally this pushy."

"No that's fine. And yes, now would be the perfect time. Where would you like to start?"

"Um, well…how about we start at the beginning. What's your name?" She closed her eyes and sighed. He'd already told her that last night. _What is wrong with me_?

"Sorry, um okay, where do you come from?"

He hesitated for a moment. "That's a long story. Are you sure you have the time?"

"I have nothing but time." she replied, tucking one of her legs underneath her to get more comfortable. Something told her she was going to be here for a while.

"Okay then. Well I was raised on Earth…" She started writing, trying to keep up with him when a thought occurred to her.

"Wait, are you saying…?"

"I wasn't born on this planet. Or anywhere near it, in fact. I was born on a planet called Krypton."

"I thought you were meteor infected."

"No, I came down with the meteors. That was my fault." He sounded guilty. But she couldn't understand that at all.

"How was that your fault?"

"A lot of people were hurt that day." He was starting to close off, this was obviously not a subject he wanted to talk about. "My planet was destroyed when I was a baby."

Even through the voice modifier, she could hear his voice change. As if it was painful for him to talk about this.

"I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"It exploded."

"And that's what caused the meteor shower?" she said, starting to understand how those meteor rocks could affect people if they came from a planet that housed super-powered beings.

"Yes."

"How does an entire planet just explode?"

"It's not important. But my parents, well my father was a great scientist on my planet. He built a spaceship for me, put me in it and sent me to Earth."

"While you were still a baby?" she asked, shocked.

"Yes. My parents wanted me to have a chance at a life. So they sent me to Earth, because I would blend in with the people here."

She shook her head, trying to understand. "Okay, you have to help me with something here. If you hadn't been sent to this planet, does that mean that the meteor shower would never have happened?"

"Well, no…"

"So even if you hadn't come down with them, the meteors would've still caused the same damage."

He sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"So if you'd stayed, you would've died like everyone else and we still would've had the meteor shower because the planet would still have exploded, only with you on it instead."

He let out a slow laugh. "I see your point Lois."

She grinned, feeling pleased with herself. "Good, you can't blame yourself for something that was never your fault."

"I guess so."

"So…you look just like us?"

"Yes, everything is the same. With one exception."

"Your powers."

"The yellow sun gives me strength, it's what gives me my abilities. When my father knew he was sending me to Earth, he had it all planned out. He carefully chose who would raise me and he left a piece of my planet in my spaceship. A very important crystal, with the ability to teach me everything I would need to know about my heritage."

"Wow, that's…incredible. Your parents must've loved you very much."

There was silence for a few minutes and Lois feared she had gone too far. But then he spoke and she relaxed.

"They did. They sent me to two amazing people who would raise me to be a good man, to be human."

"So you grew up here, and you…?"

"I adjusted every day to my abilities. But I know my purpose in this world, Lois. I'm here to help people. If I can save lives, it makes living with these powers, a little better."

She frowned. "You sound like you think of them as a burden."

"I used to. I hated being the only person who could do these things. But I know now that it's because I have a purpose."

It was a strange feeling, hearing him talk about himself like this. It seemed like something that was so personal, something he would only tell someone close to him. She couldn't think what warranted her as a confidant, but she had every intention of listening to him. He obviously needed someone to talk to and if she was honest, she thought he sounded a little lonely.

"It must've been difficult growing up like that. But I'm glad that you're where you are now. This city could use a hero or two."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't say I was a hero, Lois. I've made my share of mistakes."

"Humans do that, you know."

He fell silent again. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not seeing me as some kind of alien monster."

Her heart ached for him. "You're not a monster Kal. Hell, I've never even met you and I can tell already that you're more human than most of the scum around here."

On the rooftop across the street, Clark sat with his phone glued to his ear, hanging onto her every word. He felt a little like a stalker, watching her as she sat at her table, writing down every little thing he was saying. But he was seeing a different side to Lois tonight, and it was a side he liked very much.

"Next question?" he prompted.

"Oh yeah, uh…" He saw her flip through her notes, as well as hearing the paper rustle through the phone. "So I know you have powers, how many exactly?"

"Well, there's the ones you've already seen, speed, strength and so on. But there are others."

"Like what?" She sounded intrigued.

"X-ray vision." He frowned, a thought coming to him. "But Lois, maybe it isn't a good idea to put all this in the paper. It would only freak people out, I would imagine."

"Maybe, but then, if they saw you using these abilities and they didn't already know about them, that would scare them even more. At least this way, they have the information, and you can explain them in a little more detail so that they can understand them."

Okay, so she had a point. But listing all his powers seemed a little…well he didn't want to come across as an all-powerful being to be afraid of.

"You may have a point."

She chuckled, and it was a sweet sound to his ears. He'd never heard her chuckle like that before. "Okay, so x-ray vision. What's that?"

"Just like it sounds. I can see through things."

"What? Like _anything_?" she said, clearly impressed and maybe just a tad wary.

"Yes, but it's not there all the time. I have to focus on something to see through it."

"Ah, gotcha. Okay then, next?"

He drew in a lungful of air, steadying his nerves. This was harder than he'd thought it would be. As he began listing all of his abilities, Clark found himself staring at Lois with wonder. He wondered what was going through her head right now. He wondered if she was taking this all as well as she claimed, because since he could only see her back, he had no idea of the look on her face.

But her voice, it was sweet, strong and reassuring. The Lois he knew, and yet, something different too. Urging him to continue when he hesitated, softening in sympathy when he explained about his real parents. She _cared_. And that felt nice, even if she didn't know it was Clark she was talking to.

"So is there anything else you want me to write?" she asked when they were done. It wasn't until then, that he realised that they'd been on the phone for nearly an hour.

"No, I think that's everything. I know you'll do a great job Lois."

"Thank you, it means a lot that you trust me."

"I do. I know that tomorrow's Daily Planet will have a story that will change the world."

She scoffed. "Well, maybe not that much."

"Still, you are a great reporter. I know I don't have to ask but…would you write that I really have no bad intentions where this city is concerned?"

"You're right, you don't have to ask. That's a given."

He found himself laughing again. "Thank you Lois. I truly do appreciate this."

"No problem, I'm happy to help. And if you ever need anything, help, or just someone to talk to, I'm only a phone call away."

"I'll remember that." He said his goodbyes and hung up, but he didn't leave right away. He watched for a few more minutes as Lois got up, stretched her back and walked through to the bathroom where he couldn't see her. But he heard her loud and clear when she yelled.

"Son of a…!"

He was across the street and up the stairs of the Talon in a flash.

_To Be Continued..._


	10. Chapter 9

**_Previously on Back To Your Heart..._**

_"Thank you Lois. I truly do appreciate this."  
"No problem, I'm happy to help. And if you ever need anything, help, or just someone to talk to, I'm only a phone call away."  
"I'll remember that." He said his goodbyes and hung up, but he didn't leave right away. He watched for a few more minutes as Lois got up, stretched her back and walked through to the bathroom where he couldn't see her. But he heard her loud and clear when she yelled.  
"Son of a…!"_

He was across the street and up the stairs of the Talon in a flash.  
  
_**Chapter Nine**_

Clark banged on Lois' door, not wanting to break in but desperate to know she was alright. "Lois! Are you okay?"

She answered it, sopping wet and looking like she was about to kill the nearest person. But when she realised it was him, her face changed into one of relief. "Smallville! Thank God, get in here."

She grabbed his jacket and pulled him inside, heading straight for the bathroom where he saw at least an inch of water covering the entire floor.

"What happened?"

"What does it look like? The stupid bath overflowed." she said angrily.

"How on earth did that happen?"

"I got distracted." Then she levelled him with a glare. "Are you gonna stand there and ask pointless questions, or are you gonna help me?"

He couldn't help himself, couldn't stop it from bubbling up. He tipped his head back and let out a roar of laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asked, hands on hips.

"I'm sorry, but have you seen yourself? Did you fall over or something? Cos you look like a drowned rat." he replied, between bursts of laughter.

"Is that so? Don't get too cocky, _farm boy_." And with that, she pushed him.

Clark, who was still laughing, didn't get a chance to grab onto anything and fell backwards into the tub, which was still full to the brim. Water splashed everywhere as he struggled to get out and when he was standing upright, he threw Lois a glare.

But even the fact that he was now soaked to the bone, wasn't enough to make him angry with her. The phone call that she was unaware they'd just shared, was still lingering in his mind.

Her explanation about the meteor shower, rang in his ears. No one had ever explained it like that to him before. And she did have a point, didn't she? It still would've happened even if he hadn't come with it. The burden of knowing he'd hurt so many people, was suddenly lifted.

Because of this woman, he no longer viewed himself as the worst thing that had happened to Smallville all those years ago. He still wasn't happy that it had happened, but he was now, at least, glad that he had come with it. Because he could make it right. He could make a difference.

Lois started laughing at the sight of him so, on impulse, he grabbed her, relishing in her squeal of surprise, and dropped her fully clothed, into the bath.

"Clark!" she yelled, and scrambled out. "I was already wet, you jerk!"

They were both laughing so hard that they didn't notice how close they'd gotten to each other.

"Well, now we're even." he said with a smirk.

"That was mean, Smallville."

"Sorry, but you did make the first move." His hand seemed to take on a life of its own as he reached out and smoothed away some hair that was plastered to her face.

Eventually, their laughter sobered and neither of them could look away. Her white shirt was sticking to her curves, drawing his attention to where he knew it shouldn't go. She was so sexy. Her breasts were heaving under the exertion of her breathing and he knew he should look away. But his eyes would only move as far as her eyes. It was like there was an invisible force pushing him, and before he knew what he was doing, his head had moved closer to hers.

Her eyes gleamed, he was powerless here and he knew it. She licked her lips once, and that was his undoing. His head came down the rest of the way and his lips touched hers. For a split second, neither of them moved, but then she surprised him by returning the kiss, closing her eyes and deepening it.

Her hands rested on his chest as he cupped the back of her head, pressing her closer to him. As their mouths moved against each other, Clark felt as though he were floating. Finally he knew what it felt like to kiss Lois Lane. And he liked it. He'd definitely seen a different side of Lois tonight, and it was one that he knew he would want to know more about.

Lois couldn't control it even if she'd tried. It was like swimming in the ocean, letting the tide take her wherever it wanted to go, and she was powerless to do anything about it. Even though she knew she should.

Clark wanted her, she could feel it. And she wanted him too. The strength of that realisation hit her like a tonne of bricks. This was Clark. _Smallville._ She shouldn't want him like this, he was her best friend. It was just too…weird. Except it didn't feel weird at all. Somehow, this felt right.

Clark was the first to break the kiss, if that's what it was. Lois thought that it deserved some other kind of word to describe it. It had been…well, definitely not what she'd expected from Clark Kent, mild-mannered farm boy.

With her knees still wobbly from the sensual assault of Clark's mouth, she tried to catch her breath, to gain control of her runaway desire. But she wasn't having any luck. Clark leaned against the wall. Had his knees nearly given out on him, too? Their bodies no longer touched, but his gaze held her transfixed.

"There's something powerful going on here." he said, in a quiet, unsure voice. But his eyes refused to release hers.

He had that right. The kiss they'd shared had been so hot, so unlike anything she'd ever experienced, that her ability to think or to reason seemed to have disappeared. And right now she wasn't so sure that was a bad thing. Her feelings were too strong, charged and close to the surface.

"You feel it too." he said, moving away from the wall.

Where had this boldness come from, all of a sudden? She wondered. He'd never been like this around Lana, not that she'd ever seen anyway. He'd always been the shy, quiet type. If her brain could put together a coherent thought right then, she would've analysed it more, but instead she found herself nodding in reply. "Yes, I uh, I do."

_Okay, this is weird. How is it that Clark Kent of all people can make me feel like a blushing teenager on a first date? That just isn't possible._ Yet here it was, happening right now.

He took a step towards her, his eyes pinning her to the ground. He wasn't going to kiss her again, was he? She didn't think she'd have the strength to resist. But as he stopped directly in front of her, she saw his hands shake. He was nervous too. She found that, along with his sudden confidence, one hell of a turn on.

"Well, uh, what are we going to do about that?" he asked and her eyebrows shot up into her hairline, she was so surprised.

His eyes widened as he realised what he'd said. "Oh I didn't mean that we should…I just…" He stopped and let out a sigh. "Lois, I like you."

She snorted a little. "I like you too, Clark."

He shook his head. "No Lois, I _like_ you."

Oh, she thought. "Oh, I uh," She glanced around the flooded room, and not even that could break whatever it was between them right now. "I like you too Clark." she repeated, hoping she didn't have to spell it out for him.

His answering smile was one of relief and she wondered just how long he'd been having any kind of feelings for her. Because before tonight, she wasn't aware that he knew she even existed as anything but a thorn in his side.

"I can't explain it, Lois." he said, as if reading her mind. "But something about the way I see you, changed and I, well I, really want to take you out on a date."

The sheer nervousness, mixed with anticipation in his eyes, nearly floored her. How was she supposed to say no to that? Simple answer, she wasn't.

"I would like that." she replied. He smiled in response and his eyes glittered, captivating her. She tried to move her feet, but it was like they were rooted to the floor.

They hadn't closed the sexually charged gap between them, yet she could hear his heart pounding. Or was that her own?

He stared at her for a long, silent moment and she found herself wanting him to kiss her again.

"How about dinner? Tomorrow night? It's Saturday so we don't have to work the next day, unless you're busy. That would be fine, we could do it Sunday night instead."

Wasn't rambling her thing? She chuckled, he was adorable when he rambled. She wondered if he knew that.

"Tomorrow sounds great Clark. I'd really like that." She knew that sometime later, when she was alone with her thoughts, tonight would really hit her. That this was happening right now, seemed like some kind of alternate reality. Because really, in what universe did Lois and Clark seem like a good match? Hopefully this one, she thought.

"Oh my God!" Someone shrieked from the doorway behind her, and it took Lois a second to realise who it was.

Chloe stepped into the water-logged room, looking around with wide eyes. "What happened?"

"Slight mishap cuz. Totally my fault." Lois replied, turning to face her cousin. And with that, the spell was broken and she was able to think a little more clearly. "I left the water running, sort of got distracted but I'll tell you all about that later. But Clark, uh,"

She looked at him, still standing there, wet through and looking sexier than any man had a right to. And that thought itself was what scared her. Since when did she think of Clark as sexy? She'd always known he was, but she'd never actually acknowledged it before. "Well he's here to help."

"He didn't happen to bring a boat by any chance, did he?" Chloe quipped, keeping her attention on where exactly she could stand without ruining her shoes.

"No, just himself, but lucky for us that he was here huh?"

"Yeah, I guess." Chloe replied, frowning at Lois, then at Clark. "You okay Clark? You're awfully quiet."

Clark nodded and smiled, but didn't say anything. Lois wondered if he was as disappointed with Chloe's appearance as she was. But then she mentally chastised herself for that thought. It was probably a good thing she'd shown up when she did. The last thing Lois needed right now, was to do something monumentally stupid.

"Hey, where were you tonight?" Lois asked, noting Chloe's attire. "Did you have another date?"

Chloe smiled, but kept her guard up. "I did actually. And no," she said, holding up a hand to stop Lois before she could speak. "I'm not telling you who it is. Not yet anyway."

"I see." She couldn't deny that she was a little disappointed with the secrecy.

"Lois, it's not that I don't want to tell you. You're my cousin, my friend, I_ so_ want you to know. But it's new to me right now and it's…delicate. I just want to be sure before I say anything. Please understand."

Lois nodded. Truth was, she'd never seen Chloe with such a spring in her step before, not since her Clark-loving days, and thank God they were behind her. "I understand Chlo, just don't wait too long. I want all the juicy details."

Chloe broke out into laughter as Clark cleared his throat. "Well ladies, what do you say we clean this mess up?"

Lois looked around the room and her spirits took a nose dive. How were they supposed to get this cleaned up? "I guess we're gonna need a lot of towels, huh?"

"Good thing we're in a bathroom then." he retorted, smiling in a sort of secret way that she couldn't help returning. If Chloe had any idea that she'd just walked in on something, she wasn't showing it.

But Lois could still feel it in the air, and from the way Clark wouldn't look away from her, she guessed he could too.

As the three of them got to work on cleaning up the bathroom, Lois shook her head at herself. Lois Lane was going on a date with Clark Kent. Well, she guessed, stranger things had happened.

_To Be Continued..._


	11. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten**_

Clark knocked on Lois' apartment door above the Talon at precisely seven o'clock. He was excited, he had to admit. But he was also nervous. Tonight, he was venturing into unknown territory. He didn't know how it would go. But he was so eager to find out.

Last night, after going home, his mind had been filled with images of her in that wet, tight shirt and his dreams had been full of the memory of her kiss. He really liked Lois, and he couldn't believe it had taken him this long to figure that out. He knew it was still early, but what he seemed to be feeling right now, he hadn't felt before.

Not even his first date with Lana had been this exciting. But then again, that had been a disastrous first date. That should've told him something back then. But he wasn't going to think about Lana tonight. He'd moved on, he was in a better place now, and so was she.

He hadn't spoken to Lois all day apart from a few texts to arrange things here and there, because she'd been so busy working on her Blur article. A secret smile formed on his lips as he thought about that.

She'd written his story, all that was left was for her to get it published, which she would do tomorrow or first thing Monday. He couldn't imagine she would want to wait and he didn't either. He wanted the world to know about him. Well, he wanted them to know enough to not be afraid of him. And he had complete faith that Lois would get that job done.

He frowned and looked down at his watch. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't realised he'd been standing there for a full five minutes. He knocked again. "Lois?"

"Just a minute." she called, but her voice sounded different. Not like her at all. Then the door flew open and Clark lost the ability to form a single thought. Wow, he thought to himself. She was…

"You look amazing." he said, forcing the sound past the lump in his throat. That dress was…stunning on her. The deep red wine colour flattered her and the figure hugging material seemed to skim over every curve, enticing him. Her dark, blonde hair fell in tousled waves around her face, making her seem almost…angelic.

"Eyes up here Clark." she teased and as he snapped his eyes up to hers, he saw her grinning. But her eyes looked as though she'd been crying.

He frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" She sounded like she had a cold.

"No reason." he let her pass and waited for her to lock the door. Then he held his arm out, like the gentleman he had been raised to be, and watched as she rolled her eyes, smiled, then took it anyway.

As soon as they got outside and the cool, evening air hit her skin, she started shivering. "Lois, you're freezing."

"No I'm not." she replied, wrapping her shawl tightly around herself.

"I can see you shivering. Are you not feeling well?" Instead of waiting for an answer, he pressed his hand to her forehead. "And you're burning up. You're sick."

"I'm not, I swear. Come on, let's get going. We're gonna be late."

"Lois, you're not going anywhere, except to bed."

Both sets of eyes widened at his words and Clark swallowed hard at the image they presented him with. Lois, in his bed. Lois, naked. He shook his head and focused on her. She was still shivering but her face told him exactly what she thought of his suggestion to cancel their date. It was kinda nice that she was so adamant to go out with him.

"You're not getting out of it that easily Smallville. No time for second thoughts now."

"I'm not having second thoughts Lois, but you can't go out like this."

"Watch me." She turned on her heel and got into his truck, waiting patiently for him to get in.

Clark sighed and walked around to his side. Tonight was going to be very interesting.

* * *

Chloe took a large sip of her champagne and tried to push the nerves down. Sitting in one of Metropolis' most prestigious restaurants with Oliver couldn't even distract her from her thoughts.

They were just about finished with their meal and Oliver had suggested a nightcap at his place, something that she knew came with another, unspoken invitation. She wanted to take their relationship to the next level, but was she ready for that? It was a big step.

"Chloe, you gotta stop thinking so much. I can hear the wheels turning from here." he said, grinning at her. Somehow, he always seemed to know what she was thinking.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"Why? It's not like we don't know each other and nothing has to happen tonight if you don't want it to. I just like spending time with you and each time we go out, I find myself hoping that praying that the end of the night would never come."

"Me too." She tilted her head and smiled. He really was a charmer. That man could tempt a saint.

"So how about we have some dessert before we leave. This place does an amazing chocolate mousse."

Chloe chuckled. "Oh, Lois would so love this place."

Oliver noticed her frown at the mention of Lois' name. "What is it?"

"I want to tell Lois about us." she said abruptly. "I hate keeping this from her. She's my cousin, and I love her. I need her to know how happy I am with you."

"O…kay? But if I recall, it wasn't my idea to keep it from her in the first place." He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. "It's fine with me, really."

Chloe nodded resolutely. "Okay then, I will tell her first thing in the morning."

"Why not tonight?" he asked, hoping that it meant what he thought and she would be spending the night at his place.

"Because Lois is out on a date."

His eyebrows shot up as he noticed something in the distance behind Chloe. "With Clark?"

"How'd you guess?" she asked wryly, as if it should've been obvious to anyone with eyes.

"Because they're sitting over there."

Chloe turned to see where he was pointing, saw Lois and Clark sitting at a table on the other side of the restaurant, and quickly turned back. "Oh God, I don't want them to see us."

"Um, ouch?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Chloe replied, offering him a small smile. "I just don't want Lois to find out like this. I want to be the one to tell her myself. I owe her that."

Oliver nodded. "I guess I can understand that. Do you wanna go?"

"You wouldn't mind?" she asked with a small grimace.

"Of course not." He signalled their waiter and asked for the bill. Once he'd paid and their jackets had been returned to them, he guided Chloe towards the doors. She took one last glance at the couple who were thankfully, so engrossed in each other that they didn't even notice them.

"I hope they're having a nice time. They deserve to." she said, more to herself than to Oliver. But he heard her anyway.

"Yeah, they look happy together. It took them long enough though huh?"

"You mean you saw this?" she asked, surprised, as they stepped out of the restaurant and began their walk to his apartment.

"You mean you didn't? Come on, the constant bantering, the pent up sexual tension, it was always there."

Chloe scoffed. "Sexual tension? Clark?" She thought about the way he always acted around Lois, the way he was always challenging her and being challenged by her. "I guess you could be right."

"Trust me Chlo, when it comes to those two, I am right on the money."

* * *

The evening warmed up a little as it progressed, the wind died down and it became comfortable enough outside to not wear a jacket. Lois however, was wrapped up tight as she and Clark took a walk in the big park in Metropolis.

He wanted to take her home, but she refused to let him. She'd already told him off twice for molly-coddling her this evening and he didn't want to push his luck. But seeing her like this, quite obviously sick and unwilling to put an end to their date, made him feel very protective of her.

"You're very quiet." he said, glancing at her out the corner of his eye as they walked.

"I was just thinking." she replied quietly.

"About?"

She frowned and took a moment to think where to start. "Why did they leave so quickly? If Chloe and Oliver are dating, why hide it from me? From us?"

He knew as soon as Lois saw them that this reaction would be festering, waiting for an opportunity to come out. "Lois, I'm sure they didn't even know we were there."

"Maybe, but still, something doesn't sit right. I mean I thought Chloe was just being cautious in not telling me who she was dating. I never thought it would be because she's dating my ex."

He tried to stop himself, but the words came out before he could. "Does it bother you? Chloe and Oliver?" For some reason, he really wanted to know.

"Of course not. I think it's great actually. I couldn't think of anyone better for my baby cuz. But I don't want her to get hurt."

"Like you did, you mean."

"Well no, because she already knows about his…extracurricular activities. I just mean that Oliver isn't exactly an angel when it comes to women."

"Give him some credit Lois, she seems to be really happy."

She shrugged and gave him a smile. "Yeah, you're right. I'm overreacting. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

Clark nodded and they continued their walk in silence for a little bit. Their meal had been great, they'd talked, laughed, and Clark hadn't had that much fun in a long time but he could tell that she wasn't feeling one hundred percent.

Every now and then he would catch a frown or a grimace on her face and it made him want to do something, anything to make it better. But then she'd disguised it behind a smile that challenged him to question her. Which, he didn't. He knew better than that. She may be sick, but she was still Lois.

"You know what's weird?" Lois asked, casually slipping her hand into his as they walked. She did it so quickly that Clark thought maybe she'd been trying to do it for a while and just decided to go for it. Masking the action with a question to distract him was typical Lois.

He smiled and tightened his fingers around hers. "What?"

"This doesn't feel weird." she replied, gesturing between the two of them. "I mean you would think that being friends for years would've made this a little awkward but, it feels…" she trailed off as he stopped and looked at her.

"Natural." he finished for her.

A slow smile appeared. "Yeah. Natural."

Their eyes locked onto each other's and Clark felt that zing in his chest that he'd felt the night before in her bathroom. What was it about Lois that had him so captivated all of a sudden?

"I had a great time tonight." she murmured, her eyes drifting down to his lips.

"It's not over yet Lois," he replied, allowing his to do the same.

Just as their lips were about to touch, Lois reared her head back and let out a huge sneeze. Then she started shivering again. He could see in her eyes that it was time to call it a night, she looked exhausted.

"Okay, that's it." he said, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her. At first she was reluctant to accept it, but eventually, she gave in and snuggled into its warmth.

"What's it?" she asked in a croaky voice. The night air wasn't agreeing with her. In fact, she seemed to be getting worse.

"I'm taking you home."

"No, I'm…" She stopped and sighed. "Okay."

Clark wrapped an arm around her shoulders and walked her back to the car.

By the time he'd parked outside the Talon, she was fast asleep. Carefully, he lifted her out of the truck and took her inside. After taking her upstairs, he laid her down on the sofa while he went to turn her bed down. But when he walked back in to get her, he was surprised to find her wide awake.

"Hey, how you feeling?" he asked, sitting down next to her on the sofa.

"My head hurts." she groaned. "I feel like I have the worlds worst hangover."

He couldn't stop himself from stroking her cheek gently and she turned her face towards him, leaning into his hand.

"I think maybe you have the flu." he said.

"Ugh! Whatever it is, make it stop!" She looked up at him through narrowed eyes, probably because it hurt to open them too much, he thought. "I'm sorry I ruined our evening."

This was so unlike the Lois he knew. It was a little disconcerting. He wasn't used to this softer version of her but it was nice. Then again, he'd never seen her when she was sick before, so this was a whole new experience for him.

Though he wished that she wasn't sick. He'd give anything right now to help her. It was a strange feeling, but Lois leaning on him like this, almost needing him, brought out all his protective instincts.

"You didn't ruin it Lois. I had a great time with you tonight. Even though you wouldn't let me bring you home and you're clearly sick."

She offered him a small smile. "I thought I'd be okay. And I was, for a while. I was having fun. But now…" She groaned again and pressed a hand to her forehead. "You probably shouldn't get too close Smallville, I don't want you to catch this."

Not much chance of that, he thought. But if it meant that she wouldn't have to suffer like this, he would gladly take it.

"Don't worry about me Lois. Now, come on. Let's get you into bed." He lifted her up and carried her through to the bedroom, which told him she must be feeling really bad. She never would've let him carry her if she weren't.

But then he hit a roadblock. What was he going to do about her dress? She couldn't very well sleep in it but he didn't want to take advantage either. He may be a gentleman, but he was still a man.

"Can you get undressed?" he asked and she nodded, though she didn't move her head from his chest.

He set her down on the floor and turned his back while she got changed.

"Done." she said, climbing into bed. He tucked the covers in around her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Then frowned.

"You're really hot Lois."

A pained smile formed on her lips. "Why thank you Smallville, you're not so bad yourself."

With a chuckle, he shook his head and went through to the bathroom to get her some painkillers. After getting a glass of water from the kitchen, he set it down on her nightstand and kneeled down in front of her.

"You don't have to take care of me you know." she murmured, sleepily.

"I know," he replied, stroking her hair, watching as her eyes fought a battle to stay open and lost. "But I like it."

"Will you stay with me?" That question shocked him, Lois never asked for help, she never asked for anything from him. Her vulnerability pulled at him, making him _want_ to take care of her.

"Sure."

He took off his shoes, jacket and shirt, leaving him in just his vest and pants, and laid down on top of the covers next to her. In her half-asleep state, Lois turned to him and snuggled into his chest.

She was still shivering, and a fine sheen of sweat had broken out over her skin, but she was still so hot. So he pulled the covers back, letting her get some air to her body, and wrapped an arm around her as she slept.

He lay there staring at the ceiling, feeling more content than he had in such a long time. He had no idea why, but having her in his arms felt so...right.

Finally, his eyelids began to grow heavy and he found himself dozing. But just before he did, Lois murmured something in her sleep.

"I love you."

Suddenly, sleep was the last thing on his mind.


	12. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven**_

Chloe's eyes slowly fluttered open and fixed on a lamp beside her. That wasn't her lamp. Where was she? She shifted and felt something against her back, something warm and solid. Oh yeah, she knew where she was now.

With a big smile, she turned around and stretched against Oliver, shivering when his hand drifted up to cup her breast. Last night had been amazing, the first time she and Oliver had made love and she couldn't have imagined it any better in her head.

She'd been worried that it might have been too soon, but as soon as he'd kissed her, all thoughts had flown out of her head and she'd just let herself go with the flow. And she was glad that she did.

"Morning." she said, leaning over to kiss him. It lasted a few minutes because neither wanted to be the first to pull away but eventually, Chloe did. She couldn't believe she'd taken their relationship to the next level last night. But the pleasant ache she had told her she wasn't regretting it.

Her feelings for Oliver were definitely strong. She'd never been this happy before. Ever. Not even during the very brief phase where Clark seemed to be interested in her many years ago. She could now recognise that for the infatuation it really was. What she felt for Ollie, no, that was definitely real.

"Morning gorgeous. How did you sleep?" he asked with a wink.

"Like a log. That was one heck of a workout Ollie." she replied with her own cheeky little smile.

"I like to do my part. Now, how about a nice fattening breakfast to replace some of those calories we burned?"

"Sounds great but I didn't know you could cook."

He frowned at her, then smiled and pointed at himself. "Single man, living alone. It was either learn or starve, and since I like to eat…"

"Point taken." She laughed as she laid back against her own pillow so that Oliver could get out of bed. She watched him leave the room with nothing on, admiring his backside, then shaking her head to get rid of the thought.

She snuggled down a little and closed her eyes. The bed she was in was huge, she'd never seen one so big. But then Oliver did like his luxuries. She loved the way the satin sheets felt against her bare skin, the way the pillow moulded itself into the shape of her head, cushioning it.

She didn't realise how long she'd been laying there daydreaming until Oliver appeared in the doorway, this time wearing some boxers, and carrying a tray full of food.  
As she sat up, her stomach voiced its approval of the smells wafting over. Oliver paused and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing." He sat down on the bed next to her and put the tray down. Then he reached out and smoothed her hair. "You have the cutest bed hair I have ever seen. All spiky and sticking out at weird angles."

She ran a self-conscious hand through her dishevelled locks and glared at him. "Well, if I recall, you're half to blame for the state of my hair."

"Ooh, touchy in the morning. Note to self, do not anger Chloe in the mornings." His smile softened into one of adoration. "Chloe, you always look beautiful to me. Bed hair or not."

Most men couldn't pull off the cheesy charm, but Oliver could. And though she hated herself for it, his compliment actually made her blush. She could feel her cheeks heating up so to distract him before he noticed, she started on the food.

"Hungry?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Aren't you?"

He didn't take his eyes off her. "Yes." he replied, the hungry look in his eyes almost making her choke on her toast.

"I want to spend the day with you Chloe. Do you have any plans?" he asked, taking a bite of toast.

"Uh, no I don't think so. Oh, but I want to stop by my apartment before we go anywhere. I need to talk to Lois. I can't keep lying to her, not when we're…well, when we're getting closer."

He nodded. "I understand. Okay, well, you go and see Lois, I'll take care of a few things and then we'll spend the rest of the day together. Deal?"

"Deal. So where are we going?"

He winked at her again. "Who said we're going anywhere? Right here seems like a pretty good place to me."

Chloe swallowed hard. He was making it very hard to fight the flush she could feel on her face. Did he know what he was doing to her? Something in the way his eyes gleamed, told her he did.

* * *

Lois stirred restlessly, tossing from side to side in an effort to get comfortable. But nothing was working. She was hot, bothered and achy and she just wanted to sleep. Her head felt like she had a brass band marching inside it and her throat was all scratchy and sore. How did she get sick? She never got sick, not usually.

Then it hit her. Her date with Clark last night. She groaned out loud at the memory of it. It had been a perfectly great date, but she'd wanted it to be _perfect_. And being sick wasn't on the list of making a good first impression.

Of course, she was way past the point of first impressions with Clark, since he'd known her for years, but last night was new. She'd wanted to create a lasting impression that made him want to come back for more. Sneezing and coughing her way through the date was probably not what he was looking for.

"Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling?" Clark asked as he walked over to her carrying a tray. For a moment Lois had forgotten how to talk. He was only wearing a vest, his boxers and a smile and for the life of her, she couldn't stop her eyes from appreciating the view. All those muscles packed under one shirt; what would it be like to run her hands over them?

She shook her head. What the hell happened last night? She couldn't remember much after he'd brought her up to her apartment. It was all a little blurry, but some parts stood out.

Her frown caught his attention because he sat down next to her and looked at her with a serious expression. "You don't remember much about last night do you?"

"Not really." Wow, her voice sounded bad. Clark smiled sympathetically as she tried to clear her throat. "Did you stay here all night?" She didn't know if she was imagining it or not, but she could swear he sounded a little disappointed. But with what?

He nodded and she couldn't help but notice that his smile faded a little. "Yeah, you asked me to. I didn't want to leave you alone while you were sick so…"

"Where was Chloe?"

"I don't know, she didn't come home last night."

"So you stayed here all night? Just because I was sick?" She couldn't help the hint of disbelief in her tone. But she wasn't used to someone being this attentive when she was sick. Her mom had died at an early age and the General had always had the attitude that 'what didn't kill you, made you stronger'. So for Clark to take care of her was incredibly…sweet. And totally something he would do.

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure you were okay. You were running a pretty high fever. You're still a little pale this morning, maybe I should take you to the doctor."

"No, I'm fine. I just need a little rest that's all." She laid back down on her pillow and closed her eyes. "Some of your mom's chicken soup would be fantastic right about now too."

"Well then, you're in luck."

She opened her eyes as he placed the tray in front of her. There was a bowl of chicken soup, smelling absolutely delicious and a cup of coffee.

"You made this?" she asked.

He looked mildly offended. "I can cook you know. Mom gave me the recipe when I called her earlier to explain where I was." Oh man, he'd told his mother that he'd  
slept here? Mr Kent must be having a cow right now, she thought.

"Sorry," She took a sip of the soup and had to hold back the moan because it was even better than Martha's and that was saying something. "It's great Smallville, thanks."

He smiled in reply, and started getting dressed. "You're leaving?"

"Well, I figured that you might want this handing in as soon as possible and I have an errand to run so…" he replied, holding up her finished Blur article.

"Did you read that?" she asked warily, but then mentally corrected herself. What did it matter if he did? The whole world was going to see it in less than a day. Still, she couldn't quite figure out where this protectiveness over the Blur had come from all of a sudden. Maybe it was because he'd confided so much in her last night, she felt the need to protect him. Yeah, that was it.

"No, I'll wait like the rest of the world to find out about this guy. But how did you get all this anyway?"

She smiled, remembering the night before. "He called me."

"Must've been some call to put a smile like that on your face." Clark replied and she narrowed her eyes at him. Was he jealous?

"It was…informative." she replied, choosing her words carefully. "So uh," She put down her spoon as he sat on the bed next to her to put his shoes on. For some reason, she really didn't want him to go. "I'm sorry about last night."

"Why?"

"It can't have been much fun taking care of a sick person on your first date with her."

Clark stilled and looked over at her, then he turned and pinned her with the biggest smile she'd ever seen on him. "I had a lot of fun last night Lois. We had a great time, but I wish that you would've let me take care of you sooner. I know you don't let things get you down but watching you fight through dinner and then walking in the park while you were so cold, I felt so bad."

"Lanes don't quit because of a little cold, Smallville." she said, tipping her chin up.

Clark pursed his lips in annoyance. Didn't anyone take care of her when she was sick as a child? Somehow he doubted it and that made him a little sad. He never got sick, ever, but he knew that if he had, his mom would've been fussing over him, making him soup, keeping him comfortable because that's who she was. He couldn't see the General doing that though.

"That's your dad talking, not you. And this isn't a little cold. There's nothing wrong in letting someone take care of you."

"But…"

He put a finger to her lips. "No, no buts. And for the record, last night was the best date I've ever had."

"Huh?" She looked at him as if he'd just spoken a different language.

"I had dinner with a beautiful, smart, sexy woman…" He couldn't believe what he was saying. He'd always thought it, but he'd never said anything like that to Lois before. "Then I brought her home because she wasn't well, and I took care of her because I wanted to. It was nice, you fell asleep in my arms and…it was nice." he trailed off at the look on her face, aware that maybe he'd just said too much.

But she didn't go off like he expected her to. Instead, she smiled. "Always a gentleman huh Smallville? I'll bet you stayed on top of the covers too."

"Of course." He frowned, not knowing why she seemed to just accept that she'd fallen asleep in his arms.

They fell silent for a few minutes and Clark found himself wanting to kiss her. So he leaned in, but she stopped him. He tried not to feel disappointed, but it was hard.

"I don't want you to catch this."

He smiled. "Some things are worth the risk."

He pressed his lips to hers, softly at first and then when she responded, he deepened it. Some small part of him couldn't believe he was kissing Lois Lane, she was way out of his league, but here he was, kissing her anyway. And she was kissing him back.

"You don't remember anything about last night?" he asked again, after pulling back. He wanted to be sure that it was something she'd said because of the fever she'd had.

"I remember you being…you." She shook her head slowly. "But other than that, no. Why, did I do something stupid?"

"No, not at all. But you were pretty delirious." He chuckled, wryly. "You even said that you loved me, I mean, you must've been hallucinating."

Even as her eyes went wide as saucers, inside he was screaming at himself to shut up. Lois did not do well with being put on the spot. So why did he say it? Was he expecting some declaration? For her to say that she meant it? He felt like such an idiot.

"Yeah, me in love with you? Come on," she scoffed, but Clark thought she looked a little uncomfortable. Could she have been telling the truth? A sudden spark of hope filled him.

"Well, if it helps," He ignored the voice inside, telling him this was a disastrous mistake waiting to happen. To shut up and get out before it was too late. He pushed it all down and focused his attention solely on Lois. "I think I might be…with you."

He heard her gasp before she could control it, and then the tray tipped off the edge of the bed, sending its items sprawling across the floor. But neither of them cared at that point. Both were still staring at each other. Lois, eyes wide and alert, Clark, hoping against hope that he hadn't just lost her not only as a friend, but as something more.

After few more silent minutes had passed, Clark couldn't take much more. "Lois…"

"Just…wait a second." she interrupted, trying to get her bearings.

This was a lot to have dumped on her, especially being sick and having just woken up. _Nice timing Clark_. But even as it had occurred to him, he just knew he had to tell her.

"You're in…love with me?"

"Well, I…don't know, I…" He hung his head and sighed. Now that he'd said the words, he knew that they were true, and he wondered why it had taken him so long to see it. "Yeah, I guess I do. But it's okay. I don't expect you to feel the same-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off by her hand over his mouth. "How can you be in love with me? It's not possible."

He moved her hand away and held it in his. "Why isn't it possible?"

"Because you're…_you_ and I'm…_me_. _We_ don't do this!" she practically shrieked. Great, he'd freaked her out. What had he been thinking?

"But it _is_ possible." he said.

She shook her head, removing her hand from his grasp and raking it through her hair. "This is a lot to take in Clark…"

"I know, I'm sorry I said anything. I should've waited. Listen, I'll stop by later and see how you're doing."

He stood up to leave and Lois felt something pulling her towards him. She had no idea why, but she knew she couldn't let him walk out that door without hearing the truth. But she was terrified. This was a big mistake, she knew it. But she had to do it.

Clark had just reached the door when he felt a tug on his jacket. He turned around and saw the sheer fear on her face just before she placed both hands on his cheeks and pulled his head down to hers.

"I remember what I said last night." she whispered in his ear. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling elated. But what did this mean?

"You…do?" He pulled back far enough to see her face.

"I lied before. I do remember what I said. I just didn't want to face the humiliation. But you totally blindsided me with that confession Clark. Where did that come from?"

"Does it matter?" he asked, smiling down at her. He felt like something monumental had just happened.

"No, I guess not. I just can't understand it."

"Lois, we're not meant to understand it. We're just supposed to feel. So how about we take this one day at a time, no pressure, and no fears." The last one he'd mentioned simply because she still looked like she was about to walk into a cage full of hungry lions or something.

Was it really that scary for her? He had to admit to a few nerves himself, but he wasn't scared, not anymore at least. Maybe because the more he thought about it, the more sure he became.

"Yeah, I can do that. One day at a time." she replied, nodding. He tipped her chin up so he could look in her eyes.

"Lois, I love you." It felt so strange, yet so exhilarating to say that to her.

He watched as she swallowed hard and then smiled. "I…love you too."

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?" he asked, chuckling as he wrapped his arms around her again. She leaned her head on his chest and exhaled hard.

"I guess it had to be done Lois and Clark style though huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it was like pulling teeth. You'd think saying 'I love you' would be easier." she chuckled against him and the vibrations on his chest felt nice. But then she started shivering again.

"Lois, let me call the doctor." he said, feeling her forehead. "You're burning up again."

"I'm fine. Just need to sleep."

He lifted her up and put her back in bed. She still looked pale and he was starting to worry.

"Hey, I'm not dying you know. It's just the flu, I'll be fine."

He nodded and leaned in to kiss her again. She grabbed his collar when he tried to pull back, holding his lips against hers for another minute. Then she let go.

"Do you really have to go?" she asked, softly.

"I guess I could stay for a little while." he replied, with a smile.

She grinned at him. "Good, because I spilled my soup and that was kinda your fault, so I need some more."

"How was that my fault?"

"Was I the one that made a shocking confession just now? Out of the blue? Don't think so." she smirked and Clark felt better for seeing it. It meant that she was still somewhat alert and after everything they'd just said to each other, he was glad that she wasn't running and hiding either.

He shook his head and chuckled. "Yes boss. Oh, what about your article?"

"It's okay, I can email it in."

Clark picked up the tray and empty bowl from next to the bed and walked back into the kitchen. His heart felt lighter, as if he'd gotten some sort of weight off his chest. It didn't occur to him that his feelings for Lois had been there a lot earlier than he'd thought.


	13. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve**_

Monday morning soon came, and the bullpen was buzzing as Clark and Lois walked inside, letting go of each other's hands as they crossed the threshold. She was feeling much better today, courtesy of Clark's care and his magical soup and she'd had a great Sunday just spending the day with him.

No interruptions, no awkwardness, just the two of them. Honestly, she hadn't known that confessing her love for him would've had such an impact and she'd known even less when Clark returned it. That had definitely been a shock.

But the real surprise had been how good of a kisser he was. He had totally turned the tables on her when she'd made a joke about the fact that no one would kiss someone with a blocked nose and runny eyes.

And he'd stared at her, with a gentle smile and sparkling eyes, and then leaned in and kissed her so softly that she felt her heart melt all over again now at just the memory of it.

She had feared that in the cold light of day, he would regret what he'd told her, that he hadn't meant it. But when she'd woken up to breakfast in bed yet again, he'd lowered his head and kissed her and added the three little words that she hadn't thought she'd needed to hear before.

It was strange, now that it was all out in the open and she knew how both she and Clark felt, it felt so natural, so…real. Was it possible? Had Lois Lane found someone she could share her life with?

_Whoa, slow down there Lois, your getting ahead of yourself, it was just one date._ True, but it wasn't a normal date. It was a date with Clark Kent.

They paused inside the doorway as Lois shed her jacket and hung it up. People were running about everywhere, but then suddenly, they stopped and, as a collective group, all looked directly at Lois.

She leaned in close to Clark. "Do you think they're gonna attack us?" she whispered. "Like Shaun of the Dead style?"

"Lois…" Clark smiled.

"What? I'm just saying, that one there looks a little…"

"Lois! I'm sure they're just eager to get a chance to talk to the woman who wrote the article of the month."

She swatted at him with her hand. "Month? Try decade buddy."

Walking over to her desk, Lois dumped her bag and turned to face her co-workers. "Okay, what are you all gawking at? Do I have something on my face?"

"You rock Lane!" Gary, one of the interns, shouted from the back. In his hand, he was waving a copy of the Planet that had her story about the Blur on the front page.

Lois smiled. "Thanks um…"

"Gary."

"Right, I knew that."

"Lois!"

"Ugh, now what?" she growled, expecting to see another intern as she turned in her chair. But her eyebrows rose as the Editor-in-Chief, Pauline Kahn herself, crossed the room and stopped in front of her desk. Hands on her hips, she was a formidable force, but Lois made herself stand up to face her.

She waved the paper in front of Lois' face. "This…" Her face was impassive so Lois didn't actually know what was going to happen. "Is fantastic! I knew if I lit a fire under you we'd get the goods. When Randall called me this morning to tell me that he'd authorised the publication without my knowledge I was a little surprised, but this! Honestly Lois, how did you get this interview?"

Lois couldn't hold back the smile and she looked over her shoulder at Clark, who was grinning proudly at her. "Uh, well he called me. And yes, it's all real. He just called and we, talked and talked. He wants people to know who he is."

Pauline frowned and looked at the article again. "Did I miss something? It doesn't say anything about 'who' he is."

"No I didn't mean his identity. He can't reveal that."

"And why not?"

Lois looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you kidding? If people knew who he really was they would never leave him alone. They'd call on him day and night to do even the simplest things that they could do themselves. He'd have enemies around every corner, people constantly trying to pull him down. No, he's better off doing it this way."

"But it would make one hell of a story wouldn't it?" Pauline replied, slapping the paper down on Lois' desk before sauntering away. "Great job today Lane."

Clark inwardly gasped at Lois' description of him after she'd stared down the editor-in-chief. He'd never quite heard it put in terms like that, but she had a point. Just like she'd had a point with the whole meteor shower issue too. What was it about that woman that understood him more than anyone else?

"I swear that woman just lives to irritate me." Lois grumbled as she sat back down.

"She's just doing her job Lois."

"Don't tell me you agree with her?" Lois asked, her hazel eyes locking on his, fiercely.

"No, but she has a paper to run and I suppose, outing the Blur would sell a lot of them."

"I don't even know who he is Clark. I can't out someone I don't know. I've only talked to the guy twice. But…" A conspiratorial grin appeared, making Clark a little uneasy.

"But what?" he asked cautiously.

She leaned over her desk, waving her finger for him to come a little closer. He stood up and leaned over, and she whispered in his ear. "I'm going to meet him."

Clark's head shot backwards to look at her. "You are? When?"

"I don't know, but the next time he calls, I'm going to suggest a meeting. He has nothing to fear from me, I'll protect his secret."

"That's a little dangerous, don't you think?" he asked, trying to keep his face impassive.

"You're not jealous are you?" she smirked.

Jealous? Of himself? That was just crazy. "Of course not. But I don't want you to get hurt Lois. I uh, I care about you."

She tilted her head and grinned and he knew that sarcasm was on its way. He should've known better than to try and be sentimental at work. She'd already told him that she didn't want anyone in the bullpen to know about them just yet, they were to keep their newfound relationship under wraps until they'd figured out exactly what it was that they had together.

"He's not gonna hurt me Clark, he saved me. Why would he bother doing that if he wanted to hurt me?"

Clark had no answer and Lois knew it, so she smiled and sat down at her desk, eager to start the morning's work.

Despite the fact that Lois was determined to meet 'him', he couldn't help but be proud of the way she was going about it. She was so tenacious, unrelenting, but supportive and understanding too.

Clark smiled to himself, as the day went by, he just fell more and more in love with her.

"Hey Lois, do you have plans for lunch?" Chloe asked from her desk across the way.

Clark looked up too, offended. "What am I, invisible now?"

"Sorry Clark, but I kinda need to talk to Lois about something. Girl-talk,"

Clark shook his head and got back to work, while Lois went and sat on the edge of Chloe's desk. "Everything okay cuz? You were late again today and you've been staring at me all morning."

"I'm fine, I just really need to talk to you."

"Then why wait? If it's that important, you can tell me now."

Chloe looked around the bullpen and shook her head. "No, not here. Just come to lunch with me."

Lois narrowed her eyes for a second, but then hid her concern behind her smile like she always did. That was one thing Chloe loved about Lois, she never pushed, even when she was worried, she waited for people to come to her.

"Okay then, let's go." Lois grabbed her bag and jacket and smiled at Clark. "Keep the home fires burning Smallville, we women folk will be back soon."

"Have fun." he sneered sarcastically. What was so important that Chloe couldn't tell Clark? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was dating Oliver. Yeah, that had to be it.

Well, he could see why Chloe wouldn't want an audience. Shaking his head, he laughed to himself, he would love to be a fly on the wall though.

He wondered if Lois would tell Chloe that she already knew. Probably not. Lois was awfully good at keeping secrets, he thought.

* * *

"So what's so important that you had to drag me to a deserted coffee shop?" Lois asked as they sat down. Since they were the only two in there, it didn't take long to get served and before she knew it, Lois had a large, steaming cup of java in front of her.

"How's the cold?" Chloe asked.

Lois ran a hand through her blonde locks. "It's fine and stop stalling. Just tell me."

Chloe took a deep breath and Lois found herself holding one too. This was it, Chloe was about to tell her she was dating Oliver. It was funny, but now that she'd had a couple of days to mull it over, Lois actually thought it made sense. Oliver would be good for Chloe, and Chloe, well, she would keep Oliver in line alright.

"Okay well before I say anything, I would just like you to know that this was in no way about you, or about deceiving you…"

"Chloe! Just spill, come on." Lois urged gently.

"Okay, remember that I said I was dating someone?"

"Yeah?" _Come on!_

"Well, it's a little more serious now."

"Oh God, you're not pregnant!" Lois said, a little too loudly. Good thing they were in an empty shop. "Sorry, carry on."

Chloe scowled at her for a minute. "Why would you think…? You know what, never mind. No, I wanted to tell you that…the guy that I'm dating…"

"Mr Wonderful, yes?"

"Is Oliver Queen." Chloe said it fast, almost like she was ripping off a band-aid.

"Oh." Lois replied. Chloe winced, waiting for her response. She looked nervous, like Lois was about to launch an attack or something.

"Well, I guess that would explain why Clark and I saw you with Oliver at the restaurant the other night." she said with a chuckle. Chloe's jaw dropped.

"You saw us?" Lois nodded. "I was so careful."

"What? Was the thought of seeing me in public too humiliating to contemplate?" she asked, smiling at her cousin's discomfort.

"No, of course not. It's just that, well with yours and Oliver's history, I thought it would be best if I told you myself. I didn't want you to find out by seeing us together or hearing it from someone else. And because…" She looked down at her coffee.  
"Because you're my family, I wanted you to know first."

"You mean Clark doesn't even know?"

"Nope, you're the first one I've officially told." Chloe said, smiling and looking a little more relaxed now that it was over with.

"Chloe…" Lois said seriously, taking her hand. "You know that I'm fine with it right? That whatever me and Ollie had was a long time ago and I couldn't be happier for you."

"Really?" The sudden hope in Chloe's eyes had Lois wondering if she was really so bad that her cousin would feel nervous about telling her something this important. She didn't want to be that person.

"Really, you two actually make sense in a way." Chloe got up and walked around the table, pulling Lois into a hug that she was glad no one else was there to see.  
When she eventually released her and sat back down, Chloe was smiling so hard, Lois was sure her face must be aching.

"So, what about you and Clark? What's happening there?" Chloe asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

Lois smiled as she thought about Clark, about the wonderful time she'd had with him over the weekend. "I don't know. I mean, he was so sweet and caring on our date. He took care of me, made me soup, stayed with me even though he could've gotten sick too."

"I doubt that." Chloe muttered, but Lois heard it.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." She quickly covered. "So, are you two officially dating now?"

Lois could practically feel herself beaming and though she tried to stop it, she just couldn't. That was how Clark Kent made her feel, and she liked it. "Yeah I think we are. It's crazy right? Me and Smallville?"

Chloe shook her head. "Not as crazy as you think Lo. You two have always had chemistry. It took you long enough to figure it out."

"Well why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"How was that my job? Look, the important thing is that you're together now and by the looks of things, very happy too."

Lois smiled again, thinking of Clark. It was strange but, the more she thought about him, about the way he'd been acting around her lately, the more she knew that she'd been right to tell him that she loved him.

"Oh my God. I know that look." Chloe said with a gasp.

"What look?" Lois looked around the shop, trying to avoid her cousin's keen gaze because she saw entirely way too much sometimes.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

She shifted restlessly in her seat. "What? Don't be…that's ridiculous…he's Smallville and I'm…"

"In love with him." Chloe finished for her, chuckling. "Oh this is great!"

Eyebrows raised, Lois was shocked. "It is?"

"Of course it is, because I happen to know for a fact that Clark loves you."

"Oh really, and how do you know this?" Lois asked, putting her elbows on the table and leaning forward. Chloe was Clark's best friend, there wasn't much she didn't know about that man.

Chloe's face turned serious, with only a hint of amusement crinkling her eyes. "Because Lois, I do have eyes in my head. That guy is crazy about you." She clapped her hands together. "Oh I was so right about this. Oliver and I were talking about it and even he knew it was going to happen sooner or later."

"Excuse me? What, was there a memo or something that I missed?" Lois didn't know exactly how to feel about the fact that her own cousin and her boyfriend, knew she was going to end up with Clark.

But Chloe just ignored her. "Oh he's gonna be so smug about this. And guess what?"

"What?" she asked warily.

"He wants us all to go on a double-date."

Lois frowned. "That's a recipe for disaster."

"It could actually be kind of fun. I mean we always have a great time when we meet up."

"Yes, but that was when we were all friends, not two couples." A strange sensation went through her at the sound of the word couple, and she found herself smiling again.

"What difference would it make? Oh come on Lois, it'll be so much fun. What do ya say?"

Lois bit her lip, trying to avoid the puppy dog face that Chloe was putting on for her benefit. She didn't quite have it down like Clark, but it was still pretty effective.

"Fine, okay. But you're organising it."

_To Be Continued..._


	14. Chapter 13

_**Chapter Thirteen**_

_**Double-date: Part One**_

"Paint-balling? You have got to be kidding me!" Lois said, exasperated as she got out of the car.

Chloe rolled her eyes as she climbed out of the driver's seat. "Come on Lois, I've heard it's a lot of fun."

"I thought we were supposed to be double-dating. Not running around trying to shoot each other."

Clark came up behind her and took her hand and almost instantly, Lois felt some of the tension drain away. How did he do that?

"Who said double-dating couldn't be fun? Just give it a try Lois, for me?"

Lois sighed, again with the puppy dog eyes. Surely there must be an antidote for that somewhere?

"Stop doing that, it doesn't work." she said, slamming the car door shut. She'd wondered why Chloe had insisted that she drive.

Chloe simply grinned back at her, knowing that she was winning. "Sure, okay cuz."

Then a little more seriously, she added. "Look, I thought we could have dinner here, and then afterwards, we could all have a little fun. We have such stressful jobs and lives, I thought it would be nice to just let loose, you know?"

Lois sighed. "I know. Okay then, let's get this party started." She held back while Oliver took Chloe's hand and led her away. Clark leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

"Be nice."

"I am. And hey, why are you smiling, I thought you said this double-date thing wasn't a good idea."

He shrugged and started walking, holding her hand along the way. She hated to admit it, but she was enjoying being Clark's girlfriend. That sounded so weird to say, Clark's girlfriend, but that was what she now was.

"Well, maybe I was being a little over cautious. Chloe's right, why can't we have some fun tonight?"

"Traitor." she grumbled but he surprised her by pulling her close and dropping a quick kiss on her lips.

For a moment she couldn't say anything, too stunned by the fact that he'd just kissed her like that in public. Then she got her bearings back. "Don't start what you can't finish, Smallville."

Grinning at the suddenly lustful look on his face, she ran to catch up with Oliver and Chloe, who were just entering the building. As Oliver spoke to the receptionist about dinner first and then paint-balling, Clark snuck up behind Lois, wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear. "I'll finish it later if you want me to."

She actually gasped, where had this new Clark come from all of a sudden? In the last two weeks, since they'd officially started dating, Clark had become more and more confidant around her.

He'd been less afraid to kiss her in public, more assertive when it came to how he felt and she just couldn't help but like it. It was like he was a whole different person, but yet, still the same Smallville she'd fallen in love with.

As they were shown to their table, both men pulled out a chair for their dates. And while Chloe smiled up at Oliver, Lois frowned and Clark knew that he'd just broken some sort of rule in Lois' book. He knew she was a modern, independent woman, but he honestly liked being a gentleman around her.

It was, after all, how he'd been raised. But he should've known that Lois wouldn't like all the opening of doors and pulling out chairs. He smiled sheepishly at her as she sat down, and then took the seat next to her. He knew he was off the hook though, when she reached under the table and squeezed his hand.

"Well, I guess this isn't too bad," she said, looking around the small restaurant that was surprisingly expensive-looking considering where it was.

"What was it you said to me once Lois?" Chloe asked, making a show of trying to remember. "Oh yeah, get out of the bitter barn and play in the hay."

"I'm pretty sure I never said that to you Chloe." Lois replied, with a small chuckle.

Chloe shook her head and waved it off. "Doesn't matter, just please, try to lighten up."

Clark wondered exactly why Lois was so tense. It couldn't be about paint-balling. He knew that she loved anything active like that. She was an army brat, after all. No, this seemed almost like she was nervous. But about what? They'd been out on a lot of dates in the past two weeks, so it wasn't their newfound status as a couple. So what was it?

She sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll stop now. Shall we order then?"

As they all picked up their menus, Clark leaned in close again. He didn't know why, but he just loved seeing the look of surprise on her face whenever he did something like that.

She probably thought he didn't have it in him to be impulsive. Well, she was about to see a whole different side of Clark Kent. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She turned her head and smiled at him. "Sure I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem a little…tense?"

"I'm fine. So what are you having?" And with that, Clark knew the door was now closed on the subject.

"Well, I know what I'm having." Oliver announced, putting his menu down as Chloe continued to study hers.

"Let me guess, steak?" Lois asked, with an eye-roll to complete the sarcasm.

Oliver chuckled. "You know me too well Lois."

"How come you never order anything else? You're gonna have a heart attack one of these days."

"Me?" He thumped his chest, dramatically. "Healthy as an ox, don't you worry. I know how to keep in shape."

"I can see that, doesn't mean you should eat like one too." she said with a laugh.

Behind her menu, Lois didn't see Chloe's frown. But Clark did.

"I'll bear that in mind. So, how's it going working with these two Clark? They got you fetching and carrying for them yet?"

"Hey!" Both Chloe and Lois protested.

Clark chuckled. "Actually, it's a lot of fun. Though Lois has been spending more time on the Blur than anything else lately."

"Is it my fault that the guy keeps calling me?" she defended.

Both Oliver and Chloe raised an eyebrow at him and he shook his head slightly. He didn't know why he kept calling her as the Blur. Deep down, he knew he should stop, especially since she was still so determined to meet him face to face.

It was just, the way she talked to him, was so different to the way she talked to him as Clark. He saw such a different Lois than the one he was used to. And it made him fall deeper and deeper in love with her.

Plus, he did need an outlet in the media that he could trust. Because of Lois' articles, over the last fortnight, the Blur was receiving a much better reaction than he had before. People were starting to see him in a different light. Lois had the ability to make people feel safe when it came to him. And he was grateful for that. But talking to her as the Blur just felt…right.

"You're not exactly discouraging him."

"So? He needs someone who can tell his side of things. He can't do that himself."

Oliver and Chloe chuckled, making Lois turn her frown onto them. "What are you two laughing about? I'm telling you, I am going to meet this guy, face to face, and I will not stop until I do."

Oliver looked straight at Clark, grinning. He was enjoying this, Clark thought. "Well, I'm sure he'd love to meet with you, Lois. Since you're doing such a great job representing him and all."

Clark threw Oliver a 'what are you doing?' look and then quickly changed to a smile when Lois turned back to him.

"You would think so, but he's so reluctant. Maybe he's a recluse or something." Lois snorted. "He picked the wrong job if he is."

That had almost everyone at the table laughing. Everyone, except Clark. She didn't really think that, did she?

"Oh come on Smallville, it was a joke."

"Oh I know. Still, I don't think you should be so gung-ho about trying to meet this guy."

She sighed. "That again? Seriously Clark, he is not dangerous."

"Can we change the subject?" Chloe asked, sending Clark an understanding glance. "We're supposed to be having fun. Not talking about work."

"Yes please." Clark replied, picking his menu up again. "So, who's on whose team?"

_To Be Continued..._


	15. Chapter 14

_**Chapter Fourteen**_

"Okay, so how are we going to do this?" Lois asked after placing her glass down on the table. That was her fourth beer and she wasn't even feeling a buzz yet.

She couldn't explain why she was feeling a little nervous. She'd told Chloe that they'd all been out as friends before. But it was different now that Chloe was dating Oliver. It felt different. She didn't know whether she could be herself around them now, because the old Lois would be just as playful as ever, but she wasn't sure if it would be welcome or not.

"How are we doing what?" Clark asked distractedly, finishing off his steak.

"The teams. Are we doing couple against couple? That seems kinda corny. Or boys against girls, which, again, corny. What?"

Chloe glanced over at her and Lois couldn't quite read the look in her eyes. But the happy gleam from before wasn't there now.

"Well, how about we do one round of couples vs. couples, and then we can do boys vs. girls?" Oliver suggested, taking a mouthful of beer.

Lois looked at Clark who shrugged and nodded, and then at Chloe who took a moment before she answered.

"That sounds great."

"Excellent. And just so you know, I got my eye on you Queen." Lois said, chuckling.

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because, with your extracurricular activities, this kind of game isn't exactly a fair match."

Oliver feigned shock. "I'm hurt, you think I would cheat?"

"No, I know you would."

Oliver nodded, thoughtfully. "Touché, but I'm not the only one, army brat."

"Lanes never cheat Ollie," Lois smirked. "We don't need to."

"Okay then, are we all done?" Chloe said suddenly, standing up. "We should get to it if we wanna keep our places."

* * *

After they'd gotten all geared up and received their brief lesson on what not to do and how to play safely, and Lois was feeling more like she was back on an army base, she took her paint gun and walked over to Chloe, who was loading hers up.

"Hey,"

"Hey." Chloe replied, but didn't look up.

"Are you okay?"

"Sure I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. But look, I want you know something. Chloe, look at me please."

Chloe tipped her head back and looked at Lois with a cool stare.

"I want you to know that I'm in love with Clark."

Chloe frowned. "I know that already Lois."

"No, I'm in love with _Clark_. Nobody else. Oliver and I are friends, and that's all we'll ever be."

Chloe nodded, understanding slowly dawning on her. "Okay."

"Well, maybe one day we might be family but…"

"Whoa cuz, don't even go there. That's a long way off."

Chloe and Lois both laughed and Lois felt a little of the tension that had built up over dinner, slowly fade away. "So…we good?"

"Yeah, we're good."

"Okay ladies, what do you say we do the couples first?" Oliver asked, as he and Clark walked over to them. He was looking awfully sure of himself and that riled Lois up.

"Bring it on green bean. That is, if you can catch us."

She took off, heading towards the woods at high speed, hoping that Clark had taken her lead and followed. A paint ball went whizzing past her head, so close she could hear the whoosh, and splattered against a tree next to her. She dived behind it and took a moment to catch her breath.

Clark appeared behind a tree opposite her. He smiled over at her and winked and she had to remember to concentrate on her task. Just as she was about to peer around the tree, a green paint ball hit it, splattering her face as it hit the tree.

_Oh, so it's like that huh?_ She had played this game a lot growing up, she knew what she had to do to win. She tucked herself into a ball and rolled forward towards Clark, taking cover behind his tree. He chuckled at the paint on her face, but after her warning look, he quickly stopped.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do." Lois said. "I'm gonna go that way, but you're going to sneak around them and get them from behind, I'll play decoy for a little while. Ready?"

"Yes General." Clark mocked and Lois thought that he was having way too much fun with this. But it was nice, seeing him like that. He always seemed so serious most of the time, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Okay, on three. One, two…" They both took off, Lois running as fast as she could. She spotted Chloe to her right, shot a quick aimless paint ball at her and kept going. She didn't look to see if she'd hit her.

Then another green ball went flying past her, she looked behind her, Oliver was right on her tail. She pushed herself a little faster, heading for another tree for cover, but then she hit a branch that was sticking out of the ground, and went down hard.

Oliver ran over to her, pulled off his goggles and kneeled down. "You okay, legs?"

"My ankle." she groaned. As he turned to look at her ankle, she raised her gun and got him square between the shoulder blades, and the red paint went everywhere.

"Did you just…?" Oliver looked so shocked it was actually quite funny. "You little cheat."

"It's not cheating, it's called improvising."

"Doing the whole run and fall thing…yeah, pretty sure that's cheating."

Lois laughed and stood up, regretting it a little because her ankle did actually hurt. "You lose Queen, deal with it."

Her laughter was quickly cut off when a huge splatter of orange hit her right in the chest. Damn, she'd forgotten how much that hurt. Wait, it shouldn't have hurt, she had protective gear on. She looked down and the paint was now covering the upper chest area that the protective vest didn't cover.

"What the…?"

Oliver started laughing. "Oh, you lose Lane. Deal with it."

Before Lois could retort, she was hit twice more, this time on her arms. "Dammit Chloe, what the hell?"

Chloe stalked up to her, paint gun still raised, a serious look on her face.

Lois rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the stinging in her arms and chest. "Okay fine, you didn't have to try to take my head off, I'm out. But so is your boyfriend."

Chloe looked down at Oliver and frowned, then lurched forward as she herself was hit in the back. Blue paint splashed everywhere and from the bushes, Clark emerged, triumphant.

"Yes! Looks like we win that round." Lois said, grinning. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Clark.

"The day's still young Lois." Chloe said, with barely a smile. Now why did that sound like more of a warning than an challenge.

"Okay then, are we up for round two? Girls vs. boys?" Lois asked, feeling the adrenaline surging in her veins still.

"Actually no, I think it would be good if Clark and I teamed up against you and Ollie." Chloe suggested. "That is, if you don't mind Lois?"

Lois frowned, what was her problem? She thought they'd sorted that out. "I got no problem with it cuz. Let's go."

As they started walking back to the start point, Clark glanced at Chloe. "Are you okay?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine."

"You don't sound it. And you did just kinda wail on Lois. What was that about?"

"Nothing. I just wasn't aiming correctly that's all."

Clark grabbed her arm and stopped her in her tracks. "Chloe, it's me. What's wrong?"

Chloe sighed and rubbed a hand down her face. "It's nothing really. I'm just being stupid."

"About?"

"I know that they're friends but couldn't Lois just tamper the enthusiasm down, just a little bit?"

"You're not seriously worried about…?" Clark started, not believing what he was hearing but Chloe stopped him.

"No, I'm not. But maybe she was right about this date being a bad idea. I just don't seem to connect with Oliver the way she does."

Clark scoffed. "You know that's not true. You two get along great."

"Yeah, but we don't have that…" She shook her head, trying to think of the right word. "That zing. I mean, can you honestly tell me that it doesn't bother you?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "It doesn't. And it shouldn't bother you either. I know Lois loves me just as Oliver loves you. Neither of us has anything to worry about. They're friends Chloe. Think about it, do you think it bothers Lois that we're so close?"

"Oh God no, we're not…we would never…" She trailed off on a sigh. "I guess you're right. But you and I were never together, and they have a romantic history, I guess sometimes it's a little hard to forget that."

Clark put his arm around her shoulders and smiled as they started walking again. "Look, you and Oliver have something here, don't let it take a back seat to your feelings about Lois. And I think maybe you should talk to her about this."

"Why would I wanna do that?"

"Because she's your cousin, that's why."

Chloe snorted. "Don't get me wrong, I love her and everything, but I'm not sure I want her to see what a neurotic mess I've become today."

Clark chuckled. "I'm sure she'll understand. Now come on, I'm looking for a second win here."

* * *

"Ow!" Lois winced as she shifted around in her seat on the ride home. Clark was driving his truck since he'd driven it to Oliver's place so that they could go together earlier. The night was starting to draw in, the moon casting a pleasant glow over the fields as he drove towards Smallville. They were almost there.

"You okay?" Clark asked, smiling a little. It wasn't that he was enjoying Lois' pain, far from it, but having won three out of the four games they'd played, Clark was feeling pretty good right now. It wasn't often that he, or anyone for that matter, got to beat Lois at something she was really good at. And he hadn't used any of his powers, not even once.

"Do I look okay?" she said in frustration. "Ugh! She could've aimed for the protective vest at least. What was her problem?"

Clark didn't know whether he should say anything. But Lois did deserve an answer. "I think she was just a little insecure today."

Lois stopped fidgeting and focused her attention on him. "Chloe? Insecure? About what?"

"I think maybe you should talk to her about it. Seems like it's a family thing."

"Oh no, you can't do that Smallville. Come on, spill."

Clark sighed, he wasn't getting out of this one. "I think she was just a little unsure how to handle you and Oliver today."

Lois narrowed her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean? Me and Oliver. Did she say something to you?" She scoffed. "Of course she did. You two are like Shaggy and Scooby."

"Excuse me?"

"She's jealous of my friendship with Oliver? Seriously? She doesn't have to see the two of you when you're working on a story." As soon as she'd said it, Clark knew she was wishing desperately that she hadn't.

"Are you jealous, Lois?"

"Don't be ridiculous. But seriously, I can't get a word in edge ways when you're together. It's annoying, not threatening."

"But Chloe did kind of have a point Lo." _What are you doing Clark? Shut up!_

"About?" she asked, and he could tell she was barely keeping her anger in check.

"Look, the thing is, you and Oliver have a kind of…bond. And that's fine it really is, but for someone like Chloe to see it, especially when she suggested that we all go out…it was a little on the nose, don't you think?"

"So what are you saying? That I was out of line, being his friend today?"

"No not at all." He paused, thinking through his next sentence because clearly she was on the edge. "It's just that, I think she just wanted to feel that she was the only thing in Oliver's world, that's all."

"Then why even suggest the stupid date in the first place?"

"Because I think she thought it would be easier. It was okay when we were all friends, but now that we're dating, it's harder because she knows that you two have a history together."

Lois shook her head, looking as if she didn't even know where all this was coming from.

"That's a load of crap. She knows I would never hurt her, and I'm actually offended that she thinks I would do that to her, or you for that matter."

"She doesn't think that Lois. And neither do I, for the record." He kept his eyes on the road, but he could feel hers boring into the side of his head.

"But you do think that Ollie and I were laying it on a little thick today?"

Clark didn't speak, because he simply couldn't think of an answer that wouldn't get him into trouble. But Lois, took his silence to mean something else.

"I see. Well thanks Clark, I appreciate that. I guess I didn't realise that being friends with a guy could cause so much drama."

"Lois…" He tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled it away and faced her window.

"Just take me home Clark." she said, without looking at him. He tried to talk to her again, but she ignored him. So he sighed, and took her home.

* * *

Later that evening, Lois was curled up on the sofa with a blanket around her legs, and a tub of ice cream in her hands. What had started out as a good day, filled with a lot of fun, had quickly turned sour.

Chloe was staying at Oliver's again, so she couldn't talk to her and sort things out, and Clark was at the farm since she'd sent him home earlier without so much as saying goodbye. But he only had himself to blame for that. He'd really made her mad.  
How could he think that there was anything left between her and Oliver?

How could Chloe even think that? She'd always known how close Lois and Oliver were, it was like they'd never really been suited as lovers, but much better suited as friends. Kind of like Chloe and Clark.

Everything was such a mess and she had no idea how to fix it because she didn't even know what she'd done wrong in the first place.

A knock at her door pulled her out of her thoughts and as she got up to answer it, she silently prayed it would be someone she could get rid of quickly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, walking away from the door as Clark stepped through it.

"I wanted to see if you were okay."

She held out her arms and smiled sarcastically. "Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine. You can close the door on your way out."

She threw herself back down on the sofa and picked up her ice cream. She didn't move when she felt the sofa dip next to her, didn't look at the man who'd taken a seat.

"Lois, talk to me."

"What's there to talk about? We had a good run. What was it? Two, three weeks? That's some sort of record in my book."

Clark frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Us, you've come to tell me that it's just not working and that we were better off as friends right? So just get on with it."

Clark looked as if she'd just slapped him. "Lois, you think I came here to break up with you?"

Lois looked at him but didn't respond.

His brows rose. "Because we had a fight?"

"We're just barely getting into our relationship, and we fought already. What does that tell you?"

Clark smiled and moved a little closer. Taking her hand in his, he stared deep into her eyes. "It tells me that we had a fight and nothing more. And I wouldn't even really call it a fight."

Clark squeezed her hand, and wondered how she could even think that he would break up with her. What had happened in her past to make her think that?

"I'm not an easy person to have as a girlfriend Clark. I'm obnoxious, I always say the wrong thing and now, I've gone and upset Chloe and I don't even know how."

"Lois," He caught her chin and tilted her face up to his. "I love you. Just the way you are. Don't ever change." Clark felt a strange sensation inside, it occurred to him that this was the first time he was truly seeing Lois' vulnerable side and though it pained him to see it, he was also grateful that she was showing him too. Lois very rarely let people see that deeply.

"You're not obnoxious, you're out spoken, that's not a bad thing. You don't always say the wrong thing, you just let your heart rule your head. You're passionate and loyal and loving. Lois, there's nothing wrong with that. But how could you think that I would break up with you?"

She shrugged her shoulders and winced a little. She was still hurting. "I don't know. I guess I just thought that maybe you'd rethought the whole dating me thing. Maybe I'm too much trouble."

"Lois, you're not getting rid of me that easily. I'm in this for the long haul because I'm in love with you."

She smiled, looking a little relieved, he thought. "I love you too."

Clark leaned in and kissed her softly, slowly to get his message across just in case his words hadn't done the trick. When he pulled back, her eyes were still closed. "And yes, you are trouble, but the kind of trouble I love getting into."

She smacked him on the chest. Then her own face scrunched up. "Ow!"

"Are you still sore?"

"Sore? Try feeling like someone threw a tonne of bricks at me." She grabbed her shoulder and winced. Clark moved her hand and drew her shirt collar aside. There was a nasty purple bruise on her shoulder, and another one on her chest just near her collar bone. Either Chloe had terrible aim, or she'd meant to hurt Lois. But he refused to believe that. Chloe wouldn't do that.

Those paint balls were nothing more than a mere tap to him, but he could see that they held a much bigger impact on a human. Without saying anything, Clark pressed his lips, very gently to each bruise and kissed them softly.

"Better?"

She smiled, and he could hear her breathing speed up a little. "A little."

In the dim glow of the firelight, he repeated the action. "Now?"

"Getting there."

He popped the top few buttons of her shirt open, feeling his hands shake a little as he did so. "So beautiful." he whispered to himself as he saw more of her.

"Smallville…" she whispered in his ear.

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to finish what you started?"

Clark drew his head back and looked at her, at the flush on her cheeks. He'd never seen that before and it was incredibly sexy. He wanted her more with each passing moment. His promise earlier, rang in his ears now. He wanted to finish what he started. But he was scared of hurting her. She was already bruised enough for one evening.

"Maybe we shouldn't…"

"Why?" she asked, looking confused.

"You're hurt."

She rolled her eyes and then the Lois he knew and loved, was back. Before he knew what was happening, Lois had dragged his head back down and she was kissing him with such passion that he totally forgot what his argument had been in the first place.

He scooped her up into his arms, and headed towards the bedroom, without breaking their heated kiss once. As he gently laid her down on the bed, he felt the nerves start to kick in. Could he do this? He loved her so much, he wanted nothing more than to be with her. In every way. To solidify their love.

"Stop thinking and come here." she said, her voice a little husky and that was his undoing. He laid down next to her, placing little butterfly kisses on her neck, making her moan. It was the single most erotic sound he'd ever heard in his life. He could do this, he knew, with Lois, he could do anything.


	16. Chapter 15

_**Chapter Fifteen**_

Clark's eyes slowly fluttered open and almost immediately, they landed on the sleeping form next to him. He smiled, feeling the warmth from her body soothe his. He moved very carefully, leaning on one elbow, he propped his head up with his hand.

Watching her sleep, he was simply enthralled. Everything she did, from the contented little sighs and the flickering of her eyelids, to the way her nose twitched in her slumber, held him captivated.

Last night had been…incredible, to say the least. He'd never known it could be like that. It wasn't about the physical act, though that itself was mind-blowing, so much as a bonding and uniting of two souls that were in love. And he loved this woman, of that he had no doubt.

Unable to resist touching her for a moment longer, Clark softly grazed his hand down her arm, pulling back a little when he felt her shift. She twisted around, threw her head into her pillow and shuffled a little bit more. Clark froze, waiting. Eventually, he heard her little growl of frustration, right before she moved again and her head landed on his chest.

"Mmm, s'better." The little sigh that accompanied her statement made him chuckle but he stifled it, not wanting to wake her just yet. He was enjoying having her so close.

In some ways, the way they were now, was a lot more intimate than what they'd shared the night before. His hand trailed lazy circles on her back, as he lay staring at the ceiling. He didn't really know what he'd been expecting last night, but Lois had been everything he'd thought she'd be.

It was strange, but at times she'd been a wildcat, then others, timid as a mouse. It was a contrast that he found highly fascinating, and completely endearing too. Not to mention the fact that it just made him want her even more.

"You're staring." she mumbled, eyes still closed.

"It's romantic."

"It's creepy."

"I like watching you sleep."

She cracked one eye open to look at him. "Like I said, creepy."

But Clark wasn't listening to her words, he was now staring into two hazel orbs that he felt he could get lost in if he wasn't careful.

"Hi." he drawled, his voice low and he pressed his lips to hers, feeling her smile against his mouth.

"Hi yourself." she replied, when he pulled back.

"Are you okay?" Clark knew that Lois was tough and that what they'd shared last night had been nothing short of wonderful, but him being who he was, couldn't help but be a tiny bit concerned.

"I'm fine, no scratch that, I'm great." She stretched herself out next to him and Clark felt a rush of heat as her whole body pressed up against his.

He couldn't stop himself, he quickly rolled her onto her back, and started attacking the sensitive spot right below her earlobe. It was one of many that he had discovered last night. Lois Lane, was a very sensual woman.

She chuckled a little before giving in and letting out a tiny little moan. "Clark," she whispered, driving him crazy as she ran her fingers through his hair.

He stopped for a second and looked down at her. "I love you, Lois."

She smiled. "I love you too."

He would never get tired of hearing those words from her. He still couldn't believe she was actually saying them.

"You know, if you carry on like this, we're never gonna get to work on time."

"Mmm, don't care." he mumbled against her throat as he started working his kisses down her chest.

Then a growling noise stopped him in his tracks. "Was that my stomach or yours?"

"Mine, I think. There's only so much love a girl can live on you know."

Clark moved to the side of the bed and started putting on his boxers.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

"Stay there, I'll be right back."

He disappeared into the kitchen and as Lois heard pots and pans clattering, she decided to do as she was told. She lay on her back, hands behind her head, grinning like a schoolgirl with a crush. Last night had been the most romantic, yet passionate night of her life.

She never would've guessed that it could be like that with Clark. He always seemed so shy, so reserved. But when he got going, he really knew how to get the job done. As memories started to invade her brain, Lois felt the rush of heat in her face and knew she was blushing.

But for once, she didn't care or try to hide it. Because Clark made her feel good, and that was definitely something she could get used to. After everything that had happened between her and Chloe last night, she'd needed to feel that she wasn't the bad guy.

Because she honestly hadn't meant to hurt Chloe in any way. She frowned, thinking about Chloe. She really needed to have a talk with her at some point. Fix things.

She must've drifted back to sleep, because the next thing she knew, Clark had reappeared with a tray of food, enough for the both of them. He climbed back into bed with her and she sat up as he placed the tray in front of her.

"Mmm, bacon. You read my mind Smallville." she said, tucking into a piece. His answering smile was so adorable. Lois held out a small piece and he leaned in to take it, sucking her finger into his mouth as well. It was like a jolt of electricity that she felt throughout her entire body.

"Hmm, it does taste pretty good." he replied, licking his lips as he stared into her eyes.

Lois was flustered, Clark could see that from the pink hue in her cheeks, and he loved that he'd been the one to put it there. He'd never seen her blush before, but he liked it.

Swallowing hard, Lois searched for something to distract herself, because he was driving her insane. She grabbed the TV remote and switched it on. A voice filled the room, but neither of them really registered it until something caught Lois' attention.

_"This Blur, is a menace to our society. Do you really want your children to believe in someone who hides himself from us?" _

Lois frowned. District Attorney, Anthony Romano, was standing in the middle of Metropolis, on a podium, speaking to a crowd full of people. And he was pulling the Blur down? That just wasn't right.

_"We know nothing about him except that he's not even from this planet, who knows what his agenda is. He flaunts his superpowers, making us think we can trust him by stopping a few acts of crime, when in fact, he is the one we should be worrying about."  
_  
"This guy is such a creep." Lois spat. She glanced over at Clark, he'd gone very quiet all of a sudden and his eyes were glued to the screen. He was listening to every word.

_"If he is a hero, as he wants us to believe, why then is he relying on someone else to speak for him? Why, if his intentions are as good as he wants us to think, is he hiding?"_

"The crowd's really taking in everything he's saying aren't they?" Clark asked, his voice sounded odd.

"He's just scared because he knows that there's someone out there doing a better job of putting criminals away than him.

_"I say its high time we call this 'Blur' out. Let him speak for himself, tell us what he really wants. Is he good? Who knows, but we can't take the chance. We cannot leave our city in the hands of someone who is nothing more than a vigilante."_

"Oh that is it!" Lois flung back the sheet and hopped out of bed.

"Lois, where are you going?"

"Metropolis. He can't get away with bad mouthing the Blur, Clark." Clark quickly got out of bed and stopped her from pulling her pants on.

"Lois, I don't want you to get involved in this. It could be dangerous."

"I'm already involved Clark. He's saying that the Blur is hiding behind me. Well, I'm not having that."

He tugged on her hand. "Please Lois, just come back to bed."

Lois frowned at him. "I can't believe you're so blasé about this Smallville. This guy does nothing but help this city and he's being pulled down and everything he does is being dissected…on TV no less." she said, irritated.

"Lois…"

She stood up straight and blew her bangs out of her eyes. "Clark, he is not a  
vigilante. I know that in my heart. I can't let him get slated like this."

Clark sighed in frustration, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to talk Lois out of this. But he was seriously worried that by having her write his story, he'd unwillingly put her in the spotlight and although he was proud of the way she was standing up for him, she didn't know what she was standing up for.

"Then I'm coming with you."

She opened her mouth to protest, but then snapped it shut. "Okay."

By the time they'd arrived in Metropolis, however, the conference was over. There were only a handful of people, staff who were disassembling the podium. Clark let out a sigh of relief when Lois drove them to the Planet instead.

"I can't believe we missed it." She was still steaming, Clark realised.

She'd been chatting the whole way here about the injustice of it and how wrong it was that the Blur's intentions were being questioned and not for the first time, Clark wondered if maybe calling her as the Blur had been a bad idea. But it was too late to undo it now, all he could do now, was protect her.

"I'm sorry, Smallville." she said, bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked up at her, standing next to her desk, she was smiling at him. He felt some of the tension ease a little but not all of it.

"What for?"

"I ruined our morning. But thank you, for the breakfast in bed."

He stepped closer and kissed the tip of her nose. "You didn't ruin it. But it's okay, I'll just make you another one tomorrow."

Her eyebrows rose. "Tomorrow huh?"

"Yeah, that is, if you're not busy." he grinned. Lois shook her head, smiling back just as wide.

"When you two are done with the lovey dovey eyes, we have work to do." Chloe said, marching over to her desk. She dumped her purse and coffee cup down and shook off her jacket.

With a quick glance at Clark, Lois turned to her. "Hey Chloe?"

She looked up, but didn't speak.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"What about?"

"I think you know what about. Please?"

Chloe studied Lois for a moment, and then her expression softened a little. "Fine, okay. But not here. Lunch?"

Lois smiled, feeling more than a little relieved. "Lunch would be great."

"Did you catch the DA's little speech this morning?" Chloe asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, we did." Lois replied darkly.

Chloe looked directly at Clark. "Seems like our number one counsellor has it in for the Blur."

Clark shook his head slightly, then looked at Lois. "I'm sure he's just concerned for the safety of the city. No one really knows anything about this Blur."

"I do." Lois said, defiantly. "I know that he's good and kind, and a lot more honest than most of the people around here."

Clark and Chloe shared an awkward glance.

"Well, be that as it may," Chloe said, intercepting. "I think we need to keep our eye on him. The DA is not likely to just let this one go."

_To Be Continued..._


	17. Chapter 16

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

"Look, Chloe…" Chloe held up her hand to stop Lois before she got started as they sat in the back of their favourite café at lunch. Clark had opted to stay at the Planet, giving the two of them time to talk.

"Lois, don't. It's not necessary."

"Then why won't you look at me?"

"I am." she replied, raising her eyes to look at Lois. But there was something there that Lois couldn't read. It wasn't anger, or even resentment, it seemed more like…disappointment?

"I overreacted last night. I should've known better than to let my emotions get to me like that."

"Chloe, you know I would never do anything to hurt you. And anything Ollie and I had, is buried, very deeply in the past. There are zero feelings there, except friendship."

"I know that." Chloe said, her mouth tilting up slightly at the corners. But she still seemed uncomfortable as she continued to run a finger around the edge of her mug, concentrating all her attention on it. "And I know that you love Clark. It was just…"

She let out a sigh and rubbed a hand down her face. "I guess I was a little jealous."

"Jealous? Of me?" Lois had to bite back the laughter.

"I never said I was rational." Chloe grumbled. "But yes, I think that's what it was. You forget, I was there when you and Ollie broke up. I remember how hurt and devastated you were."

"And I remember how hurt you were every time Clark and Lana got back on their merry-go-round, only for them to fall off it, and him coming to you for advice, yet again. Or did you forget the two am phone calls you made to me every time it happened?"

"Touché," Chloe looked embarrassed. "But that was…so long ago Lois. It was nothing more than a teenage crush. What I have with Oliver, is real. I mean, last night, I guess I just felt a little out of the loop, you know? You and Ollie have this…bond, you always know what he's thinking, he knows what you're thinking."

"If you took a step back and really thought about it Chloe, you would see that you do too. You even finish some of his sentences."

"Really? I never noticed that."

Lois covered Chloe's hand with hers. "Chloe, Ollie and I happened a long time ago. I realised that he and I were never meant to be. We were always meant to be friends, just like you and Clark. It's become pretty clear that Oliver loves you. He never acted like that with me. I think we both found the ones we are meant to be with. It just took a while to get there."

Chloe's face finally broke out into a smile, a real one and Lois found herself releasing the breath she hadn't known she was holding. But she froze when Chloe's smile faded.

"I'm so sorry I did that to you Lo." Lois followed her eyes downwards, and realised that she could see a tiny glimpse of the bruise from the paintball.

"I'll live." she shrugged.

"I never meant to hurt you."

"Be honest Chlo, you kinda did." Lois said with a small chuckle. Chloe looked horrified, so Lois continued. "Don't get me wrong, I actually get it."

"You do?"

"I do. But next time, aim for the legs or something huh?"

Chloe smiled and leaned over the table to hug her cousin. "There won't be a next time, I promise. I'm sorry for being so stupid."

"I guess love makes us do crazy things huh? Clark and I actually had a fight too last night."

"Really? What about?" Chloe looked concerned, and Lois felt a little happier now. Their relationship was finally back on track.

"It's not important." Lois replied, waving her hand flippantly. "But we made up, in the best way possible."

Chloe choked and spat out a little coffee. "What?"

"What?" Lois asked back, confused at her reaction.

"You and Clark…" Chloe leaned in and whispered. "You and Clark had…"

"Made love. Yes." She frowned. "Why is that such a shock to you?"

Something flashed in Chloe's eyes, but whatever it was, passed too quickly for Lois to get a read on it. But then she carefully masked her face into a smile which made Lois even more suspicious.

"It's not. I'm uh…happy for you guys. Really."

"Uh-huh." Lois didn't believe her. Something was going on. "Then how come you look like I just told you that I'm about to walk off a bridge or something?"

"Okay, well um…" She seemed to be searching for something to say. "I guess I just wasn't expecting it to happen this soon."

"I know it's a little sudden but we love each other. Honestly Chlo, I've never felt like this about anyone and it's strange to say that about Smallville but, it's the truth. I love him."

Lois paused for a second and frowned. "And hey, you can hardly throw stones missy, you and Oliver have been doing the horizontal tango for weeks."

Chloe's cheeks turned a little red, giving Lois some satisfaction that she wasn't the only one on the hook here.

"Okay well, how about we change the subject now?"

Lois grinned. "I thought you might say that."

* * *

There was a flurry of activity in the bullpen when Chloe and Lois arrived back after their lunch.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked.

"No idea."

"You didn't hear the sirens? An entire block of apartments has just gone up in smoke." Jeff, one of the interns, told them, a little too excitedly, Lois thought.

"What? How did that happen?" Lois asked, but then the TV screen in the corner caught their attention.

_"We have reports coming in that several people are still trapped inside the burning building. The fire department are finding it difficult to find a way in safely."_

The newscaster was reporting with a sombre face, as if he knew that those people were doomed.

"What are you two still standing around for?" Pauline's voice boomed behind them, making them both jump and turn around immediately to face her. "Get down there and get the scoop."

"Right away." Chloe replied, grabbing her notepad and Lois' hand, dragging her with her as she stormed out.

"Just a second, where's Clark?" Lois asked.

Chloe glanced back at his desk and then at Lois. "I'm sure he's already there. Come on, we gotta go."

* * *

Lois couldn't believe her eyes. It was a complete disaster and that was putting it mildly. There were several ambulances already there, four fire trucks, each one fighting against the raging flames, and so many people who were hurt.

Lois wished she knew what she could do to help. But there didn't appear to be anything she could do. And Chloe looked just as helpless too. It was times like this, that Lois disliked being a reporter. Pauline would be expecting witness accounts, but Lois was in no mood to question people who had already been through enough for one day.

"How on earth did this happen?" she asked, more herself than Chloe.

"I don't know. I just hope everyone's okay."

"Chief!" One of the firemen ran over to him, his face smudged with black soot, and etched with worry. "We can't get in there Chief, the whole thing's about to go. If we don't get this fire out soon, those people are gonna be dead."

Suddenly, and from out of nowhere, there was a huge gale force blast of wind, that almost knocked both Lois and Chloe off their feet. As they watched, the flames were quickly put out and all that could be seen was smoke.

Lois smiled, knowing what, or rather who, had just appeared. But she wasn't prepared for the ten people that suddenly appeared in her line of sight, each of them looking shell shocked and coughing violently.

"He did it." she murmured, staring at the survivors as they each started to realise that the danger was now over. There were gasps and whispers coming from the crowd of onlookers, who had obviously come to the same conclusion that Lois had.

"What?" Chloe asked, next to her.

"The Blur, he saved them all."

Chloe nodded. "Yeah I guess he did."

"Lois! Chloe!" They both turned to see Clark running towards them. "What happened?"

As Lois pointed to the damage behind them, Chloe made a fast gesture for Clark to wipe the little smudge off his face, which he did quickly.

"A major fire broke out, these people were trapped inside." Lois replied, turning back to him. "Where were you?"

"I was uh, getting some lunch when I heard the sirens and thought I'd come check it out. See if there was anything I could do to help. Is everyone okay?"

"They will be, thanks to the Blur." Lois said with a proud grin. "He saved them."

Clark shifted restlessly. "Good thing he was here then huh? So are you getting quotes?"

Chloe frowned, still looking directly at Clark. "I really don't want to, but if we don't go back with something, Pauline will have our heads."

Clark couldn't quite place the tone of Chloe's voice. The look on her face was telling him that she wanted to have a talk with him but he couldn't think of anything he might've done wrong. Unless she was worried about the Blur and Lois. But he hadn't called her for days.

"Okay, the quicker we get started, the quicker we can finish. If we split up we can cover more ground." Lois said, walking over to the fire chief. Chloe grabbed Clark's arm and dragged him further away from Lois.

"What the hell are you playing at?" she asked, in a rather harsh, but hushed tone.

"What? I put out the fire, got those people out, I don't understand…"

"You and Lois? Last night?" Chloe replied, eyebrows raised, arms folded.

"Oh, that. Look, this isn't the best place for this conversation Chloe. And it's not really one I want to be having with you anyway. What Lois and I do is our business."

"Oh don't go getting all defensive on me Clark. Do you remember telling me that you couldn't have a real relationship with Lana because your secret kept getting in the way? All I see now is the same problem with a different person."

Clark was getting angry. "Lana and I were never meant for each other. All we did was hurt one another, you know that better than anyone. Lois is different."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"I love her, I would never do anything to hurt her."

"Tell me how having sex with her without her knowing about the real you, isn't going to hurt her!"

"Chloe!" He couldn't believe she'd just blurted that out in the street. Granted they were standing away from the crowd, and their attention was still on the scene, but still. "This is none of your business okay? Back off."

"I will, when you tell her."

"I'll tell her when the time is right. I won't put her in danger because you say I should."

"Clark…"

"No Chloe, with the DA on my back and everyone looking at the Blur like he's a menace, I won't have her become a target by being associated with me." He paused and looked down at the ground. "She means too much to me. I don't know what I would do if she got hurt."

Chloe stared at him for a few minutes, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Then her face softened. "Okay Clark, fine. But you know that there's always going to be some excuse not to tell her. I think you need to think about your reasons. Is it solely to protect her? Because you don't seem to have a problem with me knowing."

Clark rolled his eyes. "You know perfectly well that I had a problem with it and still do. Do you think I like having you in this position? That if you ever got hurt I wouldn't blame myself? Chloe, you're my best friend and you've been so supportive, but that doesn't mean that I like you knowing. But I can't fix that now, its too late."

He looked over at Lois, who was speaking with the fire chief like she'd known him all her life. That was the thing about Lois, she made people want to talk to her, tell her things. But she never pushed. She let people come to her, open up to her. God, he really loved her. "But I can protect her. I have to."

"Okay Clark, but please…" Chloe's eyes were pleading. "Don't leave it too long before you tell her the truth."


	18. Chapter 17

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

Anthony Romano rocked back and forth in the chair at his desk in his office. His fingers clasped, he rested his chin on them, contemplating his next move. The press conference had gone well, the citizens of Metropolis eating up his words. He could see on each of their faces that they didn't believe in this so-called Blur either.

_The Blur_.

He hated that name. It seemed everywhere he turned, he heard it. Running a hand through his thick but greying hair, he stood up and faced the large floor to ceiling window that offered a beautiful view of the city. A city that, one day soon, he would be Mayor of.

He didn't get to where he was now by sitting back and just letting things happen. No, he had to act, not wait for an opportunity to fall into his lap. First on his list, was to find out who exactly the Blur was. He'd read the interview, he knew that the Blur had been raised as one of them.

_But he could never be one of us_, he thought sourly. He was an alien. Pure and simple. He did not belong. Sure, for now he was saving people, but how long would it take for him to turn on the people he supposedly cared about. Bringing those devastating powers down upon them all.

So he had a secret identity, something to hide. And Anthony would find it. That was his job.

Second on the list was this reporter. Lois Lane. She was becoming an annoyance already, having called three times in the last half hour to talk to him. When he'd finally relented and answered, all he'd received was an ear shattering diatribe about how the Blur was only here to help, that he was saving us, and that his little rallies weren't going to have the effect he wanted.

He smiled to himself. She certainly believed in her cause, he'd give her that. Which led him to think that she knew more than she was letting on. She had been the one to write his story, she had to know more.

The Blur trusted her, she was his…confidant in a manner of speaking. That made her a person of interest to Anthony. Returning to his desk, he pressed the button on his intercom.

"Yes sir?" his secretary answered.

"Get the Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet on the line for me please, Susan."

"Right away sir."

He turned back to the window, and stared at the globe that was visible from miles away. The Daily Planet. It was time to see how good a reporter Lois Lane really was.

* * *

As Clark, Lois and Chloe all arrived back in the Daily Planet's bullpen, the drama had started to die down and people were getting on with their own jobs again. Clark couldn't help but feel a little proud as Lois rambled on about how the Blur had saved all those people.

But he mentally slapped himself. He shouldn't be revelling in what she was saying, he should be trying to stop it. He wasn't here to be proud of his actions, he was here to help. And that was it. There was no room for ego in this business.

"I can't believe no one ever sees him." Lois said, more to herself than anyone else as she sat down at her desk. "I mean, like, _ever_. There are never any witnesses, even those he saves. God knows how many people would've died today if he hadn't swooped in at the last minute."

"Well he is pretty fast Lois, that's why he's called the Blur," Chloe teased, sending Clark a warning glance.

He ignored it and focused on Lois. She was practically brimming with excitement as she started working on her article.

"I know that, it's just…it would be nice to see his face. Just once. But I get that he can't show us."

"You do?" Clark asked.

She looked up at him, a smile in her eyes that he couldn't help but return. "Of course. He needs to stay hidden for a little while longer. He can't help us if everyone knows who he is. Especially with the DA now on his back."

Clark didn't think it was possible to love this woman anymore than he already did, but it was happening anyway. The way she was so protective of him, even though she didn't know it was him, was incredibly endearing. She was fiercely loyal.

But then he frowned as Chloe's words from earlier replayed in his head. He couldn't keep the truth from her for much longer. Not if he really wanted to share his life with her. And he did. He wanted that so badly that he could almost see it happening. He'd always been afraid to hope. But maybe…with Lois…

He had to admit the truth, to himself if no one else. That maybe his reasons for keeping his secret from her weren't entirely about her safety, though that was his number one priority. He'd meant what he'd said to Chloe. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything ever happened to Lois. It would kill him to lose her.

But he also had to admit that he liked seeing Lois' reaction to his other side. Knowing that she accepted him, even knowing he was an alien, was a huge relief. At least she hadn't gone running, screaming, when he'd told her where he was from. No, Lois had taken it all in her stride and did what she did best. She'd written an amazing article that was both flattering and truthful.

But more than that, she'd accepted him.

It meant a lot that she'd put so much faith in him. He just hoped that he wouldn't let her down. The other plus, though it was a selfish one, was that he'd seen how she felt about him. Clark Kent, not the Blur. She loved _him_, simply for being him and not a hero or someone that saves people on a regular basis. And that meant more to him than any of the other stuff. He'd never felt so…loved, before.

"Well, it doesn't look like we'll find out anytime soon who he is." Chloe said, with another pointed look at Clark.

He mouthed the words 'I know' at her, then sat down at his desk, just as Pauline's assistant walked over to them.

"Hey Tom," Lois said distractedly as he stood by her desk.

"Boss wants to see you Lois."

"Oh man, what did I do now?"

Tom smirked, and turned to leave. "She has an assignment for you. You've been specifically requested."

That got Lois' attention. "By who?"

Tom stopped at the doors, turned and rolled his eyes impatiently at her. "You'll find out if you get your butt up there, won't you?"

After he was gone, Lois glanced at a confused Clark and Chloe.

"What's that all about?" Chloe asked.

Shrugging, she stood up. "No clue. But I guess I'm about to find out."

Clark watched her leave and then sat back in his chair, taking a moment to go through the events of the day so far.

"So…" Chloe started, perching herself on the end of his desk.

"Chloe, don't, I'm not in the mood right now." The last thing he wanted to hear was another lecture.

She held her hands up in surrender. "I'm not starting. I was actually going to ask what you plan to do about the DA."

Clark's eyes flew up to hers. "I forgot about him. What am I going to do?"

"I don't know Clark, but whatever it is, you need to do it soon. That guy's a bloodhound, he won't stop until he has something on you."

Clark nodded. "I'll think of something."

* * *

"You want me to interview the DA?" Lois asked, not quite understanding as she sat in Pauline's office.

Pauline smiled, though Lois could tell that it was a task for her to do so. "Mr Romano wants to get his side of the story across on his feelings about the Blur."

"He already did that this morning." Lois grumbled, her irritation returning at the memory of his words on the TV.

"I thought you were a professional, Lane. Put aside all the feelings you have about this guy and just do what he asks. He wants you tell his story so that the public can see both sides about the Blur. Not everyone is a hero worshipper like you."

Lois scowled. "I take offence to that."

Pauline shrugged. "Doesn't make it any less true."

"I'm not a hero worshipper, I just believe in this guy. And from the sounds of it, I'm the only one. When did this city become so jaded? That we can't put our trust in someone who has dedicated his time and energy to getting us out of the scrapes that, nine times out of ten, we usually get ourselves into. Nobody asked him to rescue us from burning buildings or stop muggers, or save us from getting hurt. Yet he does so every day, because he wants to. Do you honestly think he could be bad, after all he's done?"

Pauline looked at Lois with impatience. "Look Lois, I don't really care either way. Sure he's helping, but like the DA pointed out, for how long? What if he is bad? Can we take the risk?"

"I can't believe you're listening to his crap!" Lois spat angrily. Of all people, she'd thought Pauline would be a little more open minded.

"I'm not." she replied, just as heatedly. "But the fact still remains that Anthony Romano wants you. I asked him why but he was adamant that it had to be you."

"Because I wrote the article on the Blur."

"Probably."

Lois sighed, knowing that there wasn't really a way out of this. She would have to do it. Grudgingly, she sighed. "Fine, did his Majesty also tell you where I'm supposed to meet him?" 


	19. Chapter 18

_**Chapter Eighteen**_

"Ah, Miss Lane, so lovely to finally meet you." DA Anthony Romano said as he stood to shake her hand. "I've read so many of your articles that I feel as if I know you already."

"Something tells me you don't." Lois replied politely.

The restaurant she had insisted on meeting him in was almost packed so it was an ideal place, lots of eyes to bear witness should anything happen. But everything seemed to be above board as Lois took a seat opposite him.

They had one of the private booths in the back, so that no one could overhear their conversation but Lois still had her pepper spray handy. She didn't trust this guy, and made no effort to hide it from him either. He sat back down and studied her with an amused expression.

"Please Lois…may I call you Lois? There's no need to treat me like the bad guy here. I merely wanted to meet with you to get my side of the story across."

Lois took out her voice recorder and set it on the table. "Then let's get started."

He lifted his brows. "We can't eat first? Lois, at least let's be civil."

Lois gritted her teeth, eager to just get this over and done with so that she could salvage what was left of her evening and hopefully see Clark. _Clark_. She was going to have some explaining to do when he found out about this.

She didn't really know why she hadn't told him or Chloe about this interview. But with Clark's strong dislike of any mention of the Blur, she'd thought it would be easier not to have to explain why she was fighting so hard in his corner when she'd never even met the guy. What was it about the Blur that had Clark so on edge all the time? She hoped it wasn't jealousy, he had nothing to worry about in that department. But still, there was something…

"So what are you having?" Anthony asked as he picked up his menu.

Lois smiled icily, and leaned forward, keeping her voice low. "Look, I agreed to do this interview because you said you wanted a fair chance at being heard. I'm granting you that much, but this is not a date. So can we please just get on with it?"

The DA's face hardened for a second before he reigned it in and smiled again. "Whatever you wish Miss Lane." he said, but his tone was a little frosty.

Lois drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "So, what exactly is your problem with the Blur?"

"I don't have a problem with _him_, I have a problem with his methods. No one person is bigger than our law, we have that system in place for a reason Miss Lane and when people…" he snorted at that word. "_Beings_, like the Blur take that law into their own hands and decide to play cowboy? Well, it just doesn't sit well with me."

"But the Blur has done nothing wrong." Lois replied, her tone strong. "The crime rate in this city has dropped to over half of what it was at the beginning of the year. You can't tell me that's a bad thing. He has only ever helped people."

"That may be what he wants us to believe right now, and forgive me Lois but I think that maybe, you might be a little too close to the subject to see it objectively."

"Meaning?"

"This Blur, you claim that you got all this information directly from the source."

"In a way, yes." Lois replied, squirming a little. This could not be heading any place good.

The DA looked intrigued. "So you've met him?"

"No, not exactly."

"Then how did you get your info?"

"He uh…called me. And before you ask, yes I knew it was him. He proved it. Anyway, this interview isn't about me. It's about you, so next question."

Anthony smiled, unnerving her a little. "I like you Lois, you're tenacious, you don't take anybody's crap. I could use someone like you on my staff but I don't think I'd ever be able to lure you away from the Planet."

"Afraid not, sorry, you'll have to find someone else to do all your dirty work."

He held his hands out. "I have nothing to hide. I do my job, just like everyone else. And I do it well. But you have to understand that this Blur poses a real threat to our society."

"In what way?"

"A being with powers such as the Blur, has to be held accountable for his actions, just like any other _man_. He can't just run through the streets doing what he wants."

"He's saving people." Lois said, a little more forcefully this time.

"Maybe so, but it doesn't change the fact that if people put too much faith in this 'hero' he will ultimately end up letting them all down. And I don't want to see the day when he uses those powers of his for bad instead of good."

Lois sighed, she obviously wasn't going to be able to change his mind about this. But had she ever thought she could? No, people like Romano were out for blood and they wouldn't stop until they got it.

"So what exactly do you want from him?"

Anthony leaned back in his chair, propping an arm on the backrest behind him. Lois just wanted to smack that smug look off his face.

"It's quite simple really. I want him to work with us, not against us. I want the Blur to come forward and reveal himself."

* * *

"It's a shame Lois couldn't join us tonight." Martha said as she and Clark cleared the kitchen table after dinner.

Clark shrugged. "She said she had some things to do. Deadlines and stuff."

"I know, but it would've been nice to see her."

Across the kitchen, sitting at the island, Jonathan cleared his throat and threw his wife a warning glance. She ignored it and carried on. "We don't really get to see as much of her now that she's a big time reporter."

Clark turned to face her, crossing his arms as he leaned against the counter. "You know, don't you?"

Martha suddenly became very interested in the dish she was covering with plastic wrap, but Clark could see her smiling. "Know what honey?"

"Martha," Jonathan warned. "He'll tell us in his own time."

Clark sighed, smiling. "Just say it mom."

Martha looked up at Clark and he could see the happiness in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell us that you and Lois are a couple now?"

"Because its only been a couple of weeks, and I didn't want to say anything too soon. It's not because I didn't want to tell you it's just…I think Lois would've preferred that we told you together."

Martha nodded. "I understand." She stepped forward and kissed his cheek. "But for what it's worth, I'm so happy for the two of you."

"Really?"

"Of course. Lois is a part of this family, has been for a long time. I can't think of anyone you're better suited to. She brings out such a happiness in you that warms my heart to see. For years I've worried that you'd always be alone, but when Lois came into our lives…I don't know, I just didn't worry about it so much after that. She has a certain…affect on you."

"I should've known we wouldn't be able to hide it from you." he said with a light chuckle.

Clark hugged his mom, feeling a strange sense of relief flood him. He hadn't been afraid of telling his parents about Lois, but it was still early and he wanted things to go right so badly.

"So do you love her?"

"Martha!"

She held up her hands, surrendering for now, but Clark knew that question would come out again so it was best to get it out of the way now.

"I love her mom. More than I ever thought it was possible. She's…well, she's Lois."

Jonathan stood up, carrying his plate over to the sink. He clapped Clark on the shoulder. "We're happy that you're happy, son. And you know that we all love Lois."

"Thanks dad, that means a lot. And I know it would mean a lot to Lois too."

"Does she know about…?" Jonathan pointed to Clark, indicating his secret. Clark knew that his father was very overprotective when it came to telling people his secret.

He dropped his head. "No, not yet."

Martha turned serious. "If you truly love her Clark, you won't be able to hide it from her for long."

"And I don't plan to. But is it so wrong that I just want her to be with _me_ for now? That I just want her for myself? I know it sounds selfish but this is the first time in my life that I feel this way and I don't want anything to come between us."

Martha nodded, understanding in her eyes as she reached out and cupped his cheek. "I understand sweetheart, just…be careful."

Clark nodded. "I will. I'm just gonna go and finish my chores."

"Hey, you okay?" Jonathan asked as Martha watched Clark through the kitchen window.

"I'm happy they're together Jonathan…"

"But?" he asked, slipping a hand around her waist as he held a coffee in the other.

"But he should really think about telling her. And soon."

"He will, but we can't rush him. Besides, the less Lois knows right now, the less danger she's in."

Martha scoffed and pulled out of his grasp. "You sound just like Clark. Lois can take care of herself, she's a grown woman and if Clark really loves her, he'll tell her the truth."

She glanced out of the window again, watching as Clark disappeared into the barn. Her reflection in the window was smiling. "Somehow, I always knew it would be Lois."

* * *

Lois shook her head and laughed. "You want the Blur to out himself? So that hero haters like you can crucify him? No, he can't protect us if he does that."

Anthony leaned forward on his elbows. "Does he pay you to be his PA? Because you really should be getting something out of all this hard work. Why are you fighting so hard for someone…some_thing_, you haven't even met?"

Lois lifted her chin. "Because I believe in heroes. I believe in what he does for us. I believe in _him_."

Anthony shook his head, sadly. "Lois, what does he protect us from that our very own police force can't?"

"Threats that aren't exactly human? You can't tell me that they don't exist." Lois smirked as the DA's face fell. He obviously hadn't thought about that scenario. "How would the police deal with someone with powers going on a rampage? The Blur is the only one who can, so I think we should cut him some slack."

One side of Anthony's mouth lifted. "Indeed…" He was about to say more, but was cut off by his cell phone beeping. He looked down at it, frowned and then back up at Lois.

"Well Miss Lane, I think that's about all I have time for. It's been a pleasure to meet you. I trust that this article will reflect only what needs to be told?" It wasn't a question, it was a warning.

With a smile that felt like it would crack her face, Lois said. "Of course, you can count on me."

She stayed for a few minutes after he was gone, trying to understand how she was possibly going to write this interview without any of her own opinions leaking through. She would just have to find a way to be objective about it.

She collected her jacket and left the restaurant, heading for her car. But as she passed a nearby alley, an arm snaked out and yanked her in.

"Hey! What the hell…?" She elbowed her attacker in the face, heard him howl and ran for the entrance, but he was fast. He grabbed her and pulled her back again, turning her around to face him.

"That hurt. Give me your purse." he spat.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Seriously? This is the best the DA can do? Come on, I wasn't born yesterday."

"What are you talking about lady? I don't know no DA. Your purse, now!" The man was jumpy and clearly in need of something Lois knew would probably be illegal but she refused to bow down to this creep.

"Tell you what, why don't you run back to your boss and tell him that I don't know who the Blur is, and even if I did, I would never in a million years, tell him."

The clicking sound soon shut her up. She felt the cold barrel press against her temple as the man stared into her eyes. "I swear if you don't shut up…now give me your freaking purse! I won't ask again!"

* * *

Clark plonked himself down on his sofa in his loft, watching the last rays of the sun fade as it disappeared on the horizon. He smiled softly as he thought of his mom's reaction to him and Lois dating. It seemed as if she'd always known it would be Lois. How could she have seen it all this time and he'd missed it?

Contentedly, he sighed, opening his phone only to see that he had no new messages. Strange, Lois would normally have sent him dozens by now. He wondered what she was doing that was so important.

She'd seemed a little edgy earlier when he'd asked if she was okay but she'd said that she was just snowed under with work. He'd offered to help, telling her that it was what he was there for, that he and Chloe were part of her team. But she'd politely refused, kissing him lightly on the lips before telling him that she could handle it.

He sighed again and stood up to look out of the window. It was crazy, but he missed her already. He'd only seen her a few hours ago and yet, he couldn't wait to see her again. How had his attraction become so intense? __

Love. That's how. It wasn't just about being attracted to her now, he was deeply in love with her and that made all the difference.

He was about to head back into the house when he heard it. Subtle, so quiet, but to him it was like a bomb just went off. He could hear her, her heartbeat was erratic and fast. Lois was in danger.

Like a speeding bullet, he took off, following the sound until he found her. When he did, he was stunned to see a man holding a gun to her head. Clark stopped and took a moment to think about how to deal with the situation. He didn't want Lois to get shot, so he had to be careful, even though his own heart was banging hard inside his chest.

The man was jittery, clearly on something and desperate for more. Lois stepped back a little, creating a tiny gap between herself and the gun and Clark saw his chance.

Lois stepped back a little, feeling uneasy with the way this man was acting. He was seriously desperate, maybe it wasn't some plot by the DA. For one thing, the man claimed that he'd never even heard of a Blur, and she didn't think this was the type of person he would exactly hire.

Either way, she had to think of a way out of this. But as soon as she took a tiny step backwards, she felt a massive gust of wind and the next thing she knew, the man was on the floor, out cold. She smiled to herself.

"Thank you." she called but she didn't really know if he was there to hear it or not.

She closed her eyes for a second to let her nerves settle a little and then called the police.

Clark waited as she called the police, watching her until they arrived. What had she been doing here anyway? It didn't make any sense. But at least she wasn't hurt, that was the important thing. He waited until she'd climbed into her own car and driven away before he returned back to Smallville.

"Did you get it?"

"Yes sir."

"Let me see."

The man handed a folder over. DA Anthony Romano opened it, and smiled at its contents. "Well this is interesting, very interesting." He looked up at his employee. "Tell no one about this, or you'll be next on my list. Got it?"

"Yes sir, I understand." The man nodded and then left, leaving a very happy DA behind.

He stared at the photo. It was a blurry image, impossible to tell for sure, but he knew. In the shadows, there stood a man, wearing red and blue, and watching Lois Lane.

Of course, there was no way he could prove who it was with this photo alone. So he was going to have to find another way.


	20. Chapter 19

_**Chapter Nineteen**_

The following morning, Clark was finding it hard to concentrate on anything work related. His mind kept going over what had happened last night with Lois and he just couldn't figure out why she had been there to begin with.

The restaurant was the only place on that street that had been open and since her car had been parked close by, Clark knew that's where she'd come from. But who had she been dining with? And why the need for all the secrecy?

Clark had stayed with her last night, at her apartment. Chloe had stayed at Oliver's again so it was just the two of them. And all night he'd found it difficult to keep his mouth shut. She hadn't said a word about the mugging and it was pretty clear that she wasn't going to either.

But he knew that it must've shaken her a little because in her sleep, she'd made little frightened noises that tore at him and he'd spent most of the night awake, just holding her close. Knowing that she was right next to him, and safe was all that mattered.

But now, it was beginning to irritate him. Why wouldn't she just tell him?

"If you stare any harder Smallville, I'll have holes in the back of my head." Lois said, bringing him out of his thoughts. She was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"What? It's a crime to look at my girlfriend now?"

"Ah, but you're not looking, you're staring. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." he lied. He wasn't fine. He just wanted to know what was going on.

Lois watched him for a moment and then shrugged. "Okay, well it's time for a break. How about we all go get some lunch? Chloe?"

The petite blonde turned her head and put her hand over the phone she was holding to her ear. "Sorry Lo, can't. You guys go ahead."

"Okay, you want me to bring you something back?"

"Sure, thanks cuz."

* * *

Lois tucked her hand inside his as they walked down the street and he clasped his fingers tightly around hers. "So…" he started, not really knowing what to say. "What did you do last night?"

"You mean besides spending the night with my boyfriend?" she asked, smiling. Clark found himself smiling back at her, because Lois didn't use that word very often and when she did, it made him feel warm inside. To know that she saw him as being hers was a wonderful feeling. But it didn't take away his worry.

"Before that. I tried to call you and you didn't answer."

He watched her face closely as she tried to think of something to say. Then something crossed her features, he wasn't sure what it was but she stopped and looked up at him. "I need to tell you something, Smallville."

"What is it?" he asked, hoping she was going to tell him exactly who she'd been having dinner with last night.

"Not here. Let's go get a table and we can talk."

They walked a little further in silence and then Lois led him to a small table at the back of their favourite café. After they'd placed their orders, Lois leaned her elbows on the table and looked directly at Clark.

"Now, I don't want you to get angry…" she said, and Clark found himself holding his breath. "But I kind of, went to meet with the DA last night."

Clark felt his eyes go wide, his mouth open slightly. But before he could speak, Lois carried on.

"It was about the Blur. He wanted an interview to get his point across. He requested me and Pauline told me that I had no choice. I had to do it."

She bit her bottom lip as she watched him thinking over what she'd just said. "Say something Clark."

"What uh…why didn't you tell me?" he asked eventually, when he could think of the words to say. Knowing that Lois had been meeting with the same District Attorney that was out for his blood, scared him. Knowing that she'd done so, alone, was even worse. Because obviously, the DA had no problem with getting someone to attack her.

The question was, why?

"Because I knew you would overreact. I love you Smallville but sometimes, your overprotective streak, kinda drives me crazy. I know, I know I should've told you but really, nothing happened."

"Oh really? What about the mugging? You call that nothing?" he asked and then snapped his mouth shut when he realised he'd just shoved his foot in it.

He watched the shock register on her face, right before it turned to anger. "How do you know about that?"

He had to think quickly here, to come up with a reasonable answer. "Uh, because I overheard it on the police scanner at work and the woman who was attacked, seemed to fit your description. What I can't figure out is why you didn't tell me last night."

_Nice Clark, turn the tables back on her_, he thought, ashamed of himself.

Lois narrowed her eyes at him. "I was going to tell you, but when you showed up at my place, I don't know, I guess I was just relieved to have you there." She lowered her voice, and her gaze. Almost shyly and Clark wanted to raise her chin. But he kept his hands where they were. "And falling asleep in your arms? It was the safest I've felt in a long time."

He reached across the table, feeling like a complete heel as he took her hand in his. "Why didn't you just ask me to go with you?"

She shrugged. "I know you don't like the Blur."

He raised his brows. "What?"

"You get so annoyed whenever I mention him, so I thought it would be best if I didn't."

"And that's what Romano wanted to talk to you about? The Blur?"

She nodded her head, thanking the waitress as she brought over their coffees. After she was gone, she looked back at him. "Yeah, he's not gonna budge on his stance that the Blur is some kind of vigilante. He's up to something Clark, I just know it."

"Like what?"

"Trying to out the Blur? He wants him to come forward and reveal himself."

"Maybe he should." Clark thought out loud.

Lois looked shocked. "What? That's a terrible idea. The citizens of Metropolis are already sceptical enough about this guy, if they have a name and face to put to him as well, they'll tear him to pieces. Invincible or not."

Lois' words were like a kick to the ribs. She'd gone out, alone, to protect him, and all he was doing was sulking because she hadn't told him where she'd been. He couldn't really blame her for keeping it from him, he did kinda get grumpy when she brought up the subject of his alter ego.

He pushed all that aside for a moment to fully focus on her, to take in every detail from the way her dark blonde hair fell in tousled waves around her shoulders, to the way her eyes sparkled. "Are you sure you weren't hurt last night?"

"I'm sure. Don't worry Smallville, I have my very own superhero looking out for me." she said proudly. "Besides, I don't think it was a regular mugging. Although the guy was clearly on something and looking for money to get more. But I just know that the DA was behind it. I just can't prove it."

Clark felt his stomach sink, he knew that look. It was the one she always got right before she got herself into trouble.

"Lois, please don't."

"Don't what?" she asked innocently.

"Don't go looking for trouble. If it was Romano, he clearly has no issue with dealing with you so please, for me, just back off?"

She shook her head, looking guilty. "Sorry Smallville, no can do. He wants a war, he's going to get one."

"I don't want you to get hurt, I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. I love you too much."

This seemed to soften her a little and she squeezed his hand and smiled. "I know that you worry about me Clark, and it's sweet, but you knew who I was before we started dating. This is me, and contrary to what you might think, I can take care of myself."

"Not against him, you can't. Lois, you could get seriously hurt here."

She scoffed a little. "As opposed to every other story I've worked on? Come on Clark, we both know that this line of work carries a little danger risk with it."

"Doesn't mean I like it." he replied, his tone a little darker now. Lois sighed and let go of his hand, picking up her coffee mug with both.

"Well that's who I am and I'm sorry but I'm not going to start changing just because we're together. I love you Clark, but this is my job. And I'm not just going to sit by and watch as Romano tries to destroy a man who has dedicated his time to helping those in need." She was getting irritated now, and Clark didn't know what else to say to convince her.

Well, there was one thing.

"Lois, is Chloe staying at Oliver's tonight?"

She frowned at the sudden change of subject. "I would think so, she's been there every night for the past two weeks. Why?"

"I need to tell you something and it's not something that can be rushed. So can I stay over tonight? We need to talk."

Her face fell. "Those four words are never followed by anything good. Are you breaking up with me?"

Shocked, he choked a little on his coffee. "What? Of course not."

"Okay, but what's this all about?"

Clark smiled, feeling more than a little nervous. "You'll see."

* * *

"Hey Clark, where's Lois?" Chloe asked as he sat back down at his desk. He didn't answer her and he looked as if he were a million miles away. "Hello, Clark?"

"Hmm? Oh sorry Chloe. Did you say something?"

"Yeah I asked where Lois is?"

"Oh she went to see Pauline. Did you know that she had a meeting to interview Anthony Romano last night?"

Chloe stopped her typing and practically leapt out of her chair to perch herself on the corner of Clark's desk. "No, I had no idea. What was it about?"

"He wanted to tell his story about the Blur, but I think he realised that he hadn't managed to convince Lois because she was mugged after leaving the restaurant last night."

"Did you…?" Chloe made a rather amusing muscle man gesture that would've had Clark laughing if he weren't so stressed.

"I got there just in time. I knew about the mugging, which she never said anything about all night, but I had no idea about the interview."

"But she told you about it?"

"Yeah, over lunch. She just came out with everything."

"You sound surprised about that." she said.

"Truthfully, I am a little. I never expected her to tell me. At least, not this soon anyway." He rocked back and forth in his chair, looking thoughtful.

"This is getting bad Clark, we need to do something about him before he does something about you." Chloe was getting seriously worried now, the DA was not a guy to be messed with. He had resources and the means to get things done.

"I know." Clark replied, distractedly.

"What is going on with you?" she asked, slapping his knee to get his attention.

"I'm telling Lois my secret." he blurted.

"Oh…" Well, she hadn't been expecting that one. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"She opened up to me Chloe, she told me what happened last night and I know that wasn't easy for her, being as independent as she is. It made me realise what a coward I've been. I want her to know me completely, but I've just been so scared of her getting hurt because of it."

"Well, at least if she knows, she can be a little more careful in dealing with Romano."

Clark nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips, but it didn't erase the concern in his eyes. "So I'm telling her…"

"I think that's a good idea. When are you going to do it?"

"Tonight."


	21. Chapter 20

_**Chapter Twenty**_

Clark spent most of the afternoon in a constant state of worry. Was he doing the right thing by telling Lois who he really was? Would she be safe? Would she reject him? No, she wouldn't do that.

If anything, Lois had already proven her loyalty to the Blur and had even tried to make him see that he shouldn't blame himself for everything. That was Lois, _his_ Lois.  
He had to tell her. He was fooling himself if he thought he could have a real relationship with her without her knowing. And besides all that, it really wasn't fair to her.

But he just couldn't get rid of the nagging voice in his head, the one that kept telling him that she might look at him a little differently if she knew the truth. No matter how loyal she was, it was bound to change something between them. But he couldn't let that put him off.

He had already spoken to his parents to let them know that he was going to tell her. Martha had been happy and excited, but Jonathan, although happy, had been a little more wary, urging him to be sure before he did this. Clark knew it was because he wanted to make sure that both he and Lois were kept safe. That had been his job for the past twenty one years and it was hard for him to let go of that. His first instinct was to protect Clark and it always would be.

"Hey Clark! You with us?" Looking up, he saw Lois and Chloe grinning at him from across their desks. She had such a beautiful smile, he thought.

"Sorry Lois, did you say something?"

"What is with you this afternoon, it's like you're on a different planet." she snickered.

"I was just thinking." he replied quietly.

Lois raised a single brow. "About?"

_How much I love you and don't want you to change how you feel about me_, he thought.

"It's not important." he said, trying to quell the butterflies in his stomach. This was a strange feeling, he hadn't felt this nervous since telling Lois that he was in love with her.

"Well, we've got something that'll perk you up. Come on, grab your jacket,"

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked as he followed Chloe and Lois up the stairs. They were at a full run so he knew something big must be going on.

"Someone took a shot at the Mayor, she's asking to speak to the press to get any leads on witnesses." Chloe replied.

Clark stopped in his tracks, grabbing Chloe's arm, stopping her too. "When did this happen?"

Chloe glanced up at him and smiled. "Don't worry Clark, there was nothing you could've done. It only happened two hours ago. It's taken till just now to get the word out. The police have nothing to go on so far."

"Two hours ago?" Clark repeated, trying to remember what he'd been doing that would've prevented him from hearing about the attack. He'd been talking to Pauline about his progress. But he felt guilty that maybe if he hadn't been so wrapped up in his thoughts about telling Lois tonight, he might've heard it.

"Clark, don't. This wasn't your fault." Chloe said, reading his expression easily. She put a hand on his shoulder. "You can't be everywhere at once and she wasn't hurt. Just shocked."

"Hey you two, can we go now or are we having a sidewalk party?" Lois yelled, standing next to Chloe's car, waiting impatiently with a hand on her hip.

Chloe smiled at Clark. "We'd better get going."

Romano stood by the Mayor of Metropolis' side, his expression stoic but his eyes scanned everyone in the crowd before them. Standing just inside City Hall, he stepped up to the podium.

He held his hand up, waiting for the growing crowd of news crews, journalists and reporters to quiet down.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice, but as you can appreciate, this is a matter of extreme importance. Today, there was what we believe to have been an attempt on the Mayor's life. I know she would want to stand up here and talk to you all directly but as you can understand, she is still quite shaken up about it. So I'm here to ask for your help. So far we have no suspects, no leads, that's where you come in."

He paused for a second, eyeing the crowd, and then he saw two faces that made him almost smile until he remembered that he had to be professional here. But knowing that Clark Kent and Lois Lane were down there made him feel a little better.

"We want this to be publicised so that any potential witnesses can come forward, you don't have to give your name if you don't want to, but anything that anyone might've seen will be of more importance than you know."

There was a brief murmuring throughout the crowd. "I appreciate your time and your _sensitivity_ in this matter." He emphasised that word because he knew that some of these so-called reporters would take advantage of the situation. To exploit it in anyway to suit their needs. But that was the drawback to asking the press for help.

"Thank you all for coming, and please respect the privacy of the Mayor."

Lois turned back to Clark and Chloe, practically beaming. "He's got something to do with this."

"Lois, you don't know that." Clark replied in a patient tone.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Come on Clark, you can't seriously stand there and tell me that there wasn't a connection between my mugging and the fact that I'd only just had dinner with Romano. And now someone's taking shots at Mayor Dawson? I'm telling you, he's up to something big."

Chloe and Clark shared a quick, worried glance.

Lois huffed. "I saw that. Don't worry, I'm not going to poke my nose where it doesn't belong."

Clark put his arm around her waist as they began walking back to the car. "Good, because if he is up to something, I don't want you anywhere near it."

She stopped and stared at him. "Since when did we become _that_ couple?"

"What couple?" he asked innocently. She saw Chloe sigh and walk off back to her car, leaving the two of them alone.

"Look Smallville, I appreciate that I sometimes get myself into a few…situations," Clark scoffed. She spoke quickly to stop him interrupting. "But that doesn't mean that I don't know what I'm doing. I love that you worry about me, but I…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know you can take care of yourself. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I will," she replied, taking his hand as they started walking again. "But you know that investigating is a big part of being an investigative reporter."

"Really? Wow, I did not know that. Boy I'm glad I have Lois Lane's rules of reporting to follow, otherwise I'd be totally lost." he said with a sly grin.

"Hmm, sarcasm noted and _not_ appreciated." she replied with a light chuckle.

His eyebrows flickered upwards. "What? The great Lois hasn't got a comeback?"

"Careful Smallville, you're in way over your head here."

He grabbed her arm and whirled her around and before she could even gasp, he planted a searing kiss on her lips.

Grinning at the look on her face, which was no doubt blushing, he said. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Lois."

* * *

Lois sighed as she leaned her head back against the headrest and glanced out at the sun setting on the horizon.

"That was a heavy sigh," Chloe said, keeping her eyes on the road as she was driving. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything's great. For once, everything's perfect. I still don't see why Clark couldn't take me back in his truck though." she grumbled.

After deciding to call it a day on looking for witnesses to the Mayor's attack, about half an hour before she left the Planet herself, Clark had kissed her and told her that he needed to leave and asked if she could get a ride with Chloe.

When she'd pressed him, he'd simply grinned and said that he had something he needed to do before he came over tonight. She was still a little nervous about that. She had no idea what was so big that he needed to prepare to tell her. But she would find out soon.

"Maybe he wants to surprise you. You said he was planning on staying over tonight?"

"Yeah, he wants to tell me something."

"I figured as much when he asked me if Ollie was taking me out tonight." she chuckled.

Lois turned her head and glanced at her cousin. "You're really happy with him, aren't you?"

Chloe shrugged and even though the daylight was now dimming, Lois swore she could see Chloe blushing.

"Yeah, I really am. He makes me laugh, we have a great time together, not to mention the charm."

"Oh yeah, the charm." Lois agreed, then winced as she remembered the paint ball date fiasco.

Chloe chuckled. "It's okay Lois. I'm past that now. I was just being stupid, I know you and Oliver have a history and I'd be naïve to think that I can just ignore that. And I'm happy that you're friends, it's rare, to find good friends that you can count on."

"You have Smallville." Lois pointed out. "And me."

"Exactly, I have three of the best friends in the entire world. One of them just happens to be the man I love too." She flashed Lois a quick grin. "It's a win, win."

"I'm glad that you're happy Chlo. You deserve to be."

"Thanks, so do you cuz. I'm so glad that you and Clark decided to stop dancing around each other."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Just as Chloe was about to answer, she had to stop the car. There were road blocks on the bridge that led out of Metropolis and on the way to Smallville. She lowered her window to talk to the officer that was heading towards her.

"You'll have to turn back ma'am. Bridge is closed."

"What happened?"

The man's features flickered before he composed himself. "Just an accident. Please turn around and find an alternate route."

As she craned her neck to see around the block, Lois' gut clenched. "Chloe."

Something in her voice must've alerted Chloe because she stopped her conversation with the officer to lean across and see what Lois was looking at.

"What is it?"

"I think that's…no it can't be." Without another word, she got out of the car and started running.

"Miss, you can't go back there!" The officer yelled. But she didn't hear him, or Chloe. Her pulse was racing, ringing in her ears as she finally came to a stop.

"Oh my God," Chloe said next to her.

"Chloe…" she said, her words failing her, a lump forming in her throat. "That's Clark's truck."

"I know Lois," Chloe turned back to the officer. "What happened?"

"I told you, you can't come back here. Now you two, come with me," he replied, obviously irritated at having his authority ignored.

"You don't understand, that's her boyfriend's truck. Now tell me, what happened?"

The officer sighed and hung his head for a minute and Chloe waited, hoping he wasn't going to say what she knew he was going to say.

"We think it was a bomb. The car exploded and crashed into the barrier, causing several other cars to pile up. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt."

"And the driver?" Chloe asked, rubbing Lois' back. She was frozen solid, not moving, not speaking, unable to tear her eyes away from the still burning shell that had been Clark's truck.

The officer shook his head, sadness in his eyes. "No sign of the driver as of yet. But you say you know him so that will give us something to start looking for. We need a description so that we'll know when we find him." He stressed the word 'when' but Chloe knew he didn't really believe his own words. In his eyes, Clark was already dead.

Chloe felt awful, she knew there was no way that bomb could've killed Clark, but Lois still didn't know about him, and she couldn't exactly tell her here. It would have to wait.

Lois ran over to the barrier and leaned over, looking down into the water. There were several police boats and divers going into the water, and a normal yacht, but nothing else.

"Clark." she whispered. Turning to face her cousin, she sank down to the ground, arms cradling herself. "Chloe, he's…"

"No he's not Lois." Chloe replied strongly, kneeling down in front of her. "Clark is going to be fine. He's strong, remember?"

"Strong enough to survive a bomb? Come on Chloe…"

Chloe frowned, Lois was obviously in shock, but other than that, her face was just…blank. There were no tears, no real emotion. Only the fear in her hazel eyes.

She swallowed hard. "Lois, come on, we need to get you home."

"He was coming over tonight." she said quietly, letting Chloe help her up. "He was going to tell me something. Now he's…gone."

Suddenly, she grabbed Chloe's arm in an almost painful clutch. "What am I supposed to do now, Chloe?"

For that, Chloe had no answer.


	22. Chapter 21

_**Chapter Twenty One**_

Jonathan cleared his throat and clasped his wife's hand tightly. Sitting on the sofa, the Kents looked at the two uniformed police officers standing in front of them. "I don't understand, what exactly do you mean, you can't find him?"

One of the officers, a nice man who looked too young to be a policeman spoke up. "Sir, you have to understand, the damage to his vehicle was very severe. We have everyone available looking but there is no sign of your son."

Jonathan knew that Clark couldn't be hurt by a bomb, but that didn't ease his distress nor that of his wife. Martha was trembling beside him, so he gave her hand another gentle squeeze, letting her know that he wouldn't leave her.

"So would you mind telling me exactly what happened?"

"It looks like somebody planted a bomb in your son's truck, as he passed the bridge, it detonated, and it's unknown if the blast threw him into the water below or if…" He let the sentence drift, looking sad that he had to break this news at all.

Jonathan felt an iron fist grab his chest as a thought hit him. Was there kryptonite in the bomb? That would be the only explanation for Clark's disappearance. No, that would mean that someone would be aware of who Clark really was, and he'd been so careful. But he knew that accidents could happen.

Refusing to think about that, he shook his head. "So what you're telling me is someone blew Clark's truck up and now he's missing?"

"Yes sir. We're very sorry but we do need to ask you a couple of questions." The young officer gave them a moment to absorb what he'd told them while his partner stayed quiet.

Jonathan sighed and wrapped an arm around Martha's shoulders. "Sure, go ahead."

"Did your son have any enemies, anyone who would want to hurt him?"

"No, not that I know of."

"He's such a sweet person, he cares very much about the people around him. No one could possibly want to hurt or kill him." Martha said, her eyes watering. Then they widened. "Oh God, I have to call Lois."

"Lois Lane?"

The two officers shared a glance that Jonathan didn't miss. "She wasn't with him, was she?" he asked, his anxiety kicking up a notch. There was no way Lois would survive that.

"No sir, she wasn't. But she was at the scene."

Martha gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "She saw it?"

"She arrived with her cousin, I believe they were driving home and Miss Lane recognised the truck. Miss Sullivan has taken her home."

"Was she okay?" Jonathan asked.

"It's difficult to say, she was in shock. Again I'm so very sorry but we have to ask, did Clark have any arguments with anyone lately?"

"No, he got along well with everyone."

"Okay, well thank you for your time. Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to find your son. We have people sweeping the river banks, the river itself and any surrounding areas. If he's out there, we will find him."

Jonathan nodded. "Thank you. Is there anything we should be doing in the meantime?"

"We have everything we need for the moment but if you do remember anything that can help us, please contact us right away."

"Of course." He stood up to see the two officers out and once they were gone, he turned to his wife.

"Jonathan, he's out there. He could be hurt." she said, her voice wobbling.

Jonathan quickly wrapped her up in his arms, resting his cheek on her hair. "It's Clark, Martha. He'll be okay."

"If you really believe that, why are you shaking too?"

"There's not a lot that can hurt our son, honey. We just have to wait until we hear from him."

Martha pulled back and folded her arms in front of her. "Poor Lois, she doesn't know, Jonathan. Oh what that girl must be going through."

"She's strong Martha, she'll get through this. When Clark gets back, he'll explain it all to her."

"You don't think we should tell her now?"

"Clark obviously didn't tell her for a reason sweetheart. Maybe this is about more than we know. Maybe she would be in danger if she knew. Someone clearly has a grudge against Clark and until we know for sure, we can't take that risk."

Martha nodded but he could tell that she didn't agree with him. "Where is he Jonathan, where's our son?" she whispered.

Jonathan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know honey."

* * *

"Is she okay?" Oliver asked as Chloe opened the door to him. She threw her arms around him, holding on tightly and then let out a quiet sigh as she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

"No, I don't know. She hasn't said a word since we got home. I'm worried Ollie, this isn't good."

"What happened exactly? Last I heard, a bomb wasn't exactly the kind of thing that could take Clark out." He lowered his voice as Chloe dragged him into the bedroom area, away from Lois who was still sitting on the sofa. She'd been staring at her cell phone for the past hour and Chloe had no idea what to even say to her.

She'd thought of telling her the truth, but then realised that if someone had taken the time to plant a bomb on Clark, that meant that Lois could also be a target. She couldn't afford to take the risk that might put her cousin in danger, because without Clark around, it would be difficult to keep her safe all the time.

"I don't know." she replied, throwing her hands up. She was frustrated, worried, and very concerned about Lois. "I don't know who would want to hurt Clark. This wasn't about the Blur, this attack was on Clark. His car went up in flames and now he's missing. What if he's hurt Ollie?"

Oliver cupped her cheek. "Don't think like that Chloe. You know Clark. He'll be okay."

She glanced into the living room. "What about Lois? What am I supposed to say to her?"

"I guess telling her the truth is out?"

"Clark wouldn't want us to, not until we know for sure that she isn't a target too. I just wish she would talk to me."

"Let me try." he said, squeezing her hand as he walked past her and over to Lois. He sat down on the coffee table in front of her and lowered his head to try and see her face. "Lois."

She didn't respond, didn't even look up. Her gaze stayed locked on her phone. Slowly, he reached out and took it from her.

"Lois, talk to me."

"I can't." she whispered. "I'm waiting for a call."

"From who?" he asked softly. She didn't answer. "From Clark?"

"He's not dead Ollie. He's just…missing. We need to find him."

Oliver spoke softly, trying to be gentle with his words. "Lois, the police are already doing everything they can. You can't do anything more."

She stood up abruptly, snatched her phone back from his hands and grabbed her jacket.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To work. Someone had to have seen something. I'm not just going to sit around here waiting. I can't Ollie, I just…" A brief flash of pain crossed her features, but then her face went back to being blank. "I just can't."

"Lois…" Chloe started but Oliver grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"I understand Lois, but you're not going alone."

"I need to know who did this, and why." Lois said, grabbing her car keys.

"Fair enough, but like I said, you're not going alone. I'll go with you."

Lois stared at him for a few minutes and then finally gave in and nodded. Oliver turned to Chloe.

"I think I'll stay here, just in case anyone calls." she said, giving Oliver a knowing nod. He would understand.

"Okay, well, lock the doors, we won't be gone long." He kissed her softly and then left with Lois.

* * *

Romano smiled as he watched the evening news. A car had exploded on the bridge leading out of Metropolis. Terrible, awful news. The young man who'd been driving the car was now missing. But not dead. Yet.

It seemed that Clark Kent was either very lucky and had been thrown from the car, or he was really the Blur and was in fact, okay. He was hoping it was the latter, the thought that he'd killed an innocent man didn't sit well with him. But he knew the truth. Clark Kent _was_ the Blur, and he was going to prove it to the world.

Once Clark Kent appeared unscathed, and it wouldn't be long before he did, he would know and he would reveal his knowledge to everyone. He leaned back in his chair and swung from side to side. All in all, it had been a good day today.

* * *

Chloe sat down on the sofa and put her head in her hands. This was a real mess. It was killing her to see Lois like this, but she just wasn't sure whether telling her would do more harm than good. What she really needed was confirmation that Clark really was okay. He might be invincible, but he wasn't indestructible. There was only one thing that could hurt him, but what if someone had found out that he was really the Blur. Where was he? And why wasn't he contacting her or his parents if he was okay?

She turned on the news, but then shut the TV off again. She didn't need to see that burning truck yet again. Walking into the kitchen, she decided to make herself some tea to calm her nerves. She was just pouring the water when her cell started ringing. She snatched it up in a flash.

"Hello?"

"Chloe, it's Martha." Chloe held back her disappointment. "We just had a visit from the police. They're saying Clark is missing."

"Uh yeah, I'm sorry Mrs Kent, I was going to call you but I was kinda sidetracked."

"It's alright dear, but tell me. When you and Lois were there, you didn't see any…?" She was asking about the kryptonite.

"No, I had a good look as we were leaving, I didn't see anything green so I'm taking that as a good sign right now. I just wish we knew where he is,"

"Me too. But I'm sure he has a reason for not getting in touch. How is Lois?"

Chloe sighed. "Not good. She didn't say anything on the way home, I don't think it's sunk in yet. She's heading back to the Planet now to see if she can dig anything up."

"Is that wise right now?"

"I don't know. But she feels like she has to do something."

She heard Martha sniffle a little and felt bad for her. As much as they all knew that Clark would never get hurt by a bomb, Martha was still his mother and he was her son. She was bound to be worried.

"Okay sweetheart, please tell her that I called and…I guess, let me know if you hear anything?"

"I will Mrs Kent and please don't worry too much. Clark's fine." Her assurances felt flat, meaningless. But it was the best she had to offer at the moment.

"Thank you. Bye Chloe."

"Goodbye." She hung up and stood there staring into space for a few minutes. It wasn't until her phone started ringing again that she snapped back to attention.

"Hello?"

"Chloe, it's me." Chloe's breath left her in a big rush as she felt the relief wash over her.

"Clark, where the hell are you? Are you okay? What happened?"

"One question at a time Chlo. I'm in Metropolis, laying low."

"Why?"

"Why?" he asked, incredulously. "Because someone just tried to kill me Chloe and until I figure out who and why, I can't be seen around. If it was someone trying to get to Clark, we have a problem, if it was someone trying to get to me to prove I'm not who I say I am, then we have an even bigger problem. Lois said the DA's been trying to get me to come forward and reveal myself. What if he found another way to do that?"

"That's what I've been thinking too. Okay, maybe it's best if you do lay low for now. But Clark…how are you going to…?"

"I don't know. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. But I need to make sure that no one else is in danger before I come back. I won't let anyone else get hurt because of me."

Chloe frowned. "This isn't your fault Clark."

Clark sighed and she could practically see the brooding frown on his face. "Just tell me Lois is okay."

"She's…fine."

"Why did you hesitate?"

"Seriously? You're asking me if she's okay? No she's not Clark. She saw your truck, and now she thinks you're dead." She regretted the harsh tone as soon as she stopped talking but she hadn't been able to hold it back.

There was a silence on the other end that made her think that he'd hung up. "You were going to tell her the truth tonight Clark, maybe I should…"

"No! I don't want her in danger Chloe. I don't want her to hurt but I can't…I just don't want anything to happen to her. She was already attacked once by Romano. If he knows that she knows something, he'll go after her. I need her to be safe."

"But if she knows, she won't worry so much."

"You think I like keeping this from her? I don't, it's killing me Chloe." She could hear the pain in his voice, it wavered a little but he was trying to keep strong. "I want to tell her that everything's okay but I can't do that yet. I _need_ her to be safe. Anyone who's involved with me could be in danger, you included. So I need to stay away for a little while until we get this figured out."

A feeling of dread clutched at her heart. "Clark, I can't keep lying to her."

"It won't be for long I promise. I just need a day or so to see what I can find out."

She didn't like it, not one bit. But Clark was right. "Okay, Clark. We'll do it your way, for now."


	23. Chapter 22

_**Chapter Twenty Two**_

"Come on Gary, you gotta help me out here." Lois pleaded with the police officer in front of her. She'd played poker a lot with him in the past, so she knew how to read him and he was always an easy target. The guy had the worst poker face in the world. "I need to talk to this guy."

"Lois, maybe we should…" Chloe touched her arm but she snatched it away without even looking at her. "Yeah, okay we can just stay here." she said quietly, stepping away and putting her hands in her pockets.

Gary sighed and looked at her with sympathy. She hated that look, she'd been seeing it for over a day now. Everyone that had heard about Clark, had given her their sympathies. Well she didn't want them. She wanted to find out where Clark was. He'd been missing for a day now and there was still no news. But she couldn't give up, she wouldn't.

"I wish I could help you Lane, I really do. But he was released on bail this morning."

Lois slapped her palms down hard on the desk that was separating them. "You don't understand, this guy is working for Romano. I need to know what he knows."

Gary chuckled harshly. "You think the district attorney had something to do with your mugging? I know you're known for your whacky theories and usually, they pan out. But this? What have you been smoking, Lois?"

"That guy attacked me! And you just let him walk out of this place! I thought we had an understanding Gary, a friendship. But I guess I was sorely mistaken, wasn't I?"

That seemed to strike a nerve, Gary's eyes narrowed and as Chloe once again touched her arm, Lois realised that this wasn't the way to go about getting what she wanted.

"Okay, if I can't talk to him, can you at least give me the name of the witness in that boat?"

Gary frowned, but then wrote something down on a piece of paper. "You know I shouldn't, since this is a police investigation and all…"

"An investigation that involves someone very close to me. And may I just add, you're all doing a wonderful job so far." she added sarcastically.

"Lois, we already questioned him, what do you think you're gonna be able to get out of him?"

"I don't know, but I have to try. It's _Clark_, Gary. He's missing, now if you guys can't find him…" She took the piece of paper from him. "Then I will."

* * *

Chloe watched Lois as she drove them to the address that Gary had given them. Her face was set in grim determination, she was a woman on a mission. But there was sadness lying just beneath the surface.

Though Lois had been adamant that Clark was just missing, Chloe could see in her eyes that she feared the worst. The longer she went without hearing any news, the more that sadness grew. She was starting to believe that he wouldn't be found.

_Damn you, Clark. How can you do this to her?_ She knew he was just trying to keep her safe and Chloe agreed with it in a certain way, but seeing the effect it was having was a lot harder to bear than she'd thought it would be.

"What?" Lois asked, keeping her eyes straight ahead as she concentrated on the road.

"Nothing."

Lois let out a quiet sigh as she pulled into the driveway. "I'm fine, Chloe."

"Yeah, I can see that." she replied quietly as Lois got out and headed to the front door. That had been all she'd said for the past day, _I'm fine_. She clearly wasn't but Chloe wasn't going to push her. She was too busy dealing with her own guilt.

The front door opened and a man who looked to be about sixty, with a rounded belly and a balding head, smiled down at the two of them.

"Mr Martin? David Martin?" Lois asked, reaching for her press pass to identify herself. He held his hand up to stop her.

"I know who you are Miss Lane, I read a lot of your articles. They're very…insightful. And I also know why you're here."

"You do?"

"You're here about that young reporter." His face grew sad at the mention of him. "Terrible business that, a car bomb. I heard the explosion you know?"

Chloe saw Lois clench her jaw, but she managed to steel herself and put on a brief, albeit false, smile.

"Could we come in Mr Martin? I would really like to hear about what you saw."

"Of course my dear, come on in." He stepped to the side to allow them to enter and closed the door behind him. Once he'd directed them both to the living room and they sat down, he offered them both something to drink.

"We're fine thank you Mr Martin." Chloe said, shaking her head.

"Oh please, call me David, no need to stand on ceremony here." he replied, sitting down in a chair next to them. Abruptly, he reached across and covered Lois' hand with his. "I'm sorry about your young man, Miss Lane."

"How did you…?" Lois looked completely shell-shocked. "Know."

David smiled wistfully. "I lost my Emily fifteen years ago." He pointed up at an aged wedding photo on the mantle. A couple with bright, shiny smiles, looked back at them. "She was the love of my life. I never got over losing her."

Chloe frowned, wondering where this was going, but Lois seemed to understand. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"I know that look Miss Lane. It's the same look I saw in the mirror when my Emily died. It's not very hard to see that you love him deeply."

Lois cleared her throat and changed the subject. "David, your statement to the police said that you saw something fall into the water just after the…uh, bomb went off."

"That's correct. I like to take my boat out every now and then, it helps me to relax and unwind." He tapped his chest. "My ticker's not what it used to be. When I heard that explosion, I looked to the bridge and a car was on fire just near the barrier. But I saw something…or someone, falling. Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"I'm sure." Lois replied, a little too quickly for Chloe's liking.

David didn't look too sure either, but he shrugged and carried on. "Whatever it was, hit the water hard and fast. Along with a lot of debris. I could hear the screams from the bridge, other people were hurt, and so I called the police and the fire department. I never saw anyone emerge from the water. If it was Mr Kent, he didn't resurface. I'm so very sorry Miss Lane."

Lois shook her head, unwilling to believe what she was hearing. "But he could've swam to shore?"

"It's possible I suppose." David said, but then frowned. "But I doubt it. That blast was strong Miss Lane, I don't know who could possibly survive that, let alone falling into the water and having to swim."

"The police have been searching that river. They've found no sign of him yet, so I have to believe that he's out there somewhere."

David patted her hand. "I understand. And you're probably right. But that's all I can tell you I'm afraid. I didn't see anything else."

Lois nodded, looking dejected, but then her gaze caught on something that was on the coffee table in front of them. "Do you wear glasses David?"

"Yes, why?"

"No reason," She stood up. "Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it."

"You're very welcome and if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

* * *

Later that evening, Clark perched on the edge of a rooftop, in full Blur gear, waiting. In downtown Metropolis, he listened intently for any sounds of muggings or trouble. He wanted to talk to the man who'd tried to mug Lois, convinced that he could somehow link it all back to Romano.

It was a long shot, but it was all he had at the moment. He knew he'd been released on bail, but he had no idea where he was. But men like him didn't stay out of trouble for very long. He'd been doing this for two nights now, trying to keep himself busy, trying to find any connection that he could to the DA.

It occurred to him that he was doing it because it helped to take his mind off Lois and his parents. They didn't know he was okay and it was killing him to keep it from them. But he couldn't and wouldn't risk their safety. His parents would be worried, but they knew he'd be okay.

But Lois…he had a hard time imagining she would take this news okay. He had it coming, he knew that. And he would more than deserve it. But he would rather have her angry at him than dead or hurt. He'd die before he'd ever let that happen.

He rubbed his chest, trying to dull the ache that had been present there since this had happened. Being away from Lois, for this long, was painful for him. But he had to stay focused here, he needed to protect the people he loved.

If Romano was responsible for the car bomb, that meant that he could decide to target anyone Clark was associated with next. Letting Romano believe Clark Kent was dead and that the Blur was still very much alive and in action, was his only chance right now.

His attention was diverted to a bunch of men gathering at the corner of the street, but after a few minutes of watching them, Clark realised it was just a bunch of drunken men on their way home from a bachelor party. He turned to leave, but their wolf whistles had him turning back.

A frown creased his forehead as he watched the young woman walk past them, calmly and confidently and then the men seemed to lose interest. She headed down an alley, and he waited, watching. Her blonde hair glistened in the moonlight, the way she walked…wait, was that? _Lois_! What was she doing?

Clark felt a little anger bubble up inside him. She was trying to find the mugger too. He knew it, because it was exactly what Lois Lane would do. But he couldn't let her get involved in Romano's games. Well, no more than she already was, anyway.

Taking out his cell phone, the one he'd used to call her as the Blur, he dialled her number and waited. She answered in less than ten seconds.

"Lois,"

He heard her sigh. "It's you. I was beginning to think you'd dropped off the planet."

"I'm still here. I'm still around."

"Good," He saw her emerge to stand in a puddle of light coming from the streetlight next to her. His fingers itched to touch her, his body ached to be with her. "I was hoping you would call."

"Listen Lois…"

"I need your help."

Clark knew this couldn't lead to anything good. "With what?"

"Clark my uh, my…" She couldn't seem to say it. Clark knew she didn't like labels, but she _always_ opened up to the Blur, why couldn't she now? "He's missing. His car was blown up on the bridge yesterday and no one has been able to find him. The police have no leads and they won't listen to me. So can you help me? I need to find him."

Her cracked voice tore at his heart, and he felt like a complete tool for doing this to her. But he had to remind himself of why he was doing this. Her safety was the most important thing to him. "Who would have reason to want him dead?"

He heard her sharp intake of breath and mentally slapped himself for not being a little more sensitive with his choice of words. "What I mean is, did he have any enemies?"

"Of course not, Clark's too nice to have enemies. People love him, he loves people, there's no one that I can think of. Well except maybe one person."

Clark sat down on the edge of the roof, watching her closely, letting his eyes drink in the sight of her. It felt like he hadn't seen her for days, and her voice, though strained and tired, was like music to his ears.

He knew he shouldn't be talking to her like this, that it would only make things worse, but if she knew anything, this was his chance to find out where the information would lead without her getting hurt. "And who's that?"

"The district attorney, Anthony Romano. He wanted me to get you to come forward and reveal yourself."

"Really?"

"Yes, he thinks you're a vigilante, but you already know all that and I'm rambling so…But the man that you saved me from, he was hired to attack me, I'm sure of it. Now Clark's being dragged into this mess and I'm pretty sure that Romano was behind the attempted assassination of the Mayor too."

Well, that was a new one, Clark hadn't thought of that. But she might be on to something there.

"Lois…what's really on your mind?" he asked, suddenly needing to know. "I promise I will look into Clark's disappearance, but you sound…"

"I sound what?"

"Like you're in pain."

He watched as she sat down on the pavement, her knees tucked in close to her chest. "I want him back. I love him and I miss him so much." she whispered and every word sent a pain shooting into his chest, searing his heart.

"I talked to a witness today, a man who'd been in a boat at the time Clark might've fallen into the river. He said he never saw him resurface."

Well, that was a problem, Clark thought. If there'd been a witness, it was going to be harder to come back from this without people suspecting something. But right now, as big as that problem was, there was another that concerned him more. Lois was hurting, and it was his fault.

"But I refuse to believe that he's dead. He isn't. He could've swam to shore, to safety and maybe he's out there somewhere, hurt but alive." She stopped and let out a heavy, weary sigh.

"Anyway, I guess I've kept you long enough. Busy night for a superhero. But thank you…for listening."

"Lois…" he said just before she hung up.

"Yeah?"

"He'll come back to you Lois, I _promise_."

"I wish I knew that was true. But I'm not going to stop until I find out who did this to him."

And that worried Clark even more. Lois was a force of nature, one who often did what she wanted, when she wanted. But she was in way over her head here.

"Lois, please don't go doing anything reckless. I'll handle it, you have my word. But doing something that will get you hurt, or worse, killed, will only make things worse. So please…"

"Okay, I promise not to do anything stupid." He really wished he could believe her. But something in the way she spoke warned him to keep a closer eye on her from now on.

She hung up, and walked back the way she'd come. Clark watched her drive all the way home and then went back to the city, to let the DA know that the Blur was out and about and alive and kicking.


	24. Chapter 23

_**Chapter Twenty Three**_

"Miss Lane, what a pleasant surprise." Anthony Romano said as he stood to greet her. She stopped just inside his office doorway, and if looks could kill, he'd be dead right there on the spot.

He had to admit that she looked terrible, there were dark circles under her eyes and she looked tired, as if she hadn't slept for days. Which was probably true, he thought.

Not for the first time, he was hit with a wave of guilt, that maybe he'd killed an innocent man. Because Clark Kent was still missing, yet the Blur was as active as ever. In fact, he was on the front page of the Planet today, courtesy of Lois Lane reporting his saves of the night before.

"Save it." she snapped, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "I'm in no mood for your games today."

"Well, _you_ came to _my_ office to see me Miss Lane, what can I do for you?" He held out a hand, indicating a chair that she should sit in but she continued to stand, staring daggers at him.

"I want to know how you did it." she said.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow. Did what, exactly?"

"Don't play dumb with me, I know you had something to do with that car bomb."

He feigned shock. "The explosion that may have killed Mr Kent?"

She visibly flinched, but then set her features into a mask of nonchalance. "Yes, the bomb, that _you_ had planted."

He shook his head and sat on the edge of his desk, facing her. "Now, why would I possibly want to kill a Daily Planet reporter? Do you realise how absurd that is? My job is to put the criminals of this city away Miss Lane…"

"And take back-hand payments to get the real ones off while you convict innocent people." she spat.

"Look, I understand that you and Mr Kent were close, and that you're grieving right now. I understand it's been three days since the explosion on the bridge and there's still no sign of him. But I'm warning you, I won't take these ridiculous allegations lightly."

Lois squared her shoulders, she had come here prepared for a fight, he thought. Her stance alone was telling him that much and for a split second, he wondered if she knew something that could possibly incriminate him.

_Impossible_, he thought. He'd been nothing but careful in his planning. However, when one dealt with criminals to do their dirty work, it was entirely possible that someone would talk for the right reasons. He would have to take care of that little problem as soon as possible.

"Oh they're not allegations, I have proof." she stated with a smirk but he knew she was bluffing.

"I very much doubt that, since there's nothing to have proof of. I had nothing to do with that explosion, he was a reporter, there's no telling how many enemies he had."

Lois shook her head. "He wasn't writing articles long enough to tick anyone off."

Romano felt a smile creep up his face. "Why don't you get your friend to help you? I'm sure the Blur would be able to locate him faster than any of the authorities could."

"He's looking into it."

His smile fell abruptly. "You've spoken to him? Recently?"

"Yes, and he's not the kind of person you want to make an enemy out of. And before you ask, I won't ask him to reveal himself for you. It won't happen."

Romano actually felt a little worried. Because if the Blur had told Lois, his most trusted confidant, that he would look into Clark's disappearance, then it seemed that they were two entirely different people. Maybe he had been wrong.

He pushed all that down inside and adopted his usual public smile. "Then I'm afraid I have nothing else to tell you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with the Mayor that I need to get to." He stood up and buttoned his suit jacket.

"Oh, didn't succeed the first time so you're trying to kill her again?"

She was really beginning to irritate him now. It was no wonder she always got herself into trouble with a mouth like that. "You can leave now Miss Lane, or I can call security and have you escorted out."

"Don't bother, I'm going." She turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "I'm onto you Romano, and one way or another, I am going to bring you down. For good." And with that, she walked out and slammed the door behind her.

* * *

Clark watched her leave the DA's office, hidden high up on a rooftop where no one could see him. He'd heard every word, Romano was definitely lying, his heart rate had spiked when Lois had mentioned the bomb. And again when she'd mentioned the attempt on the Mayor. That was interesting, Romano had had something to do with that as well it seemed.

He made sure that Lois got back to the Planet safely and then sped off. He arrived at the police labs less than a second later. Luck must've been on his side today because the staff appeared to be out to lunch. He walked into the lab that contained his blown apart truck, and the bomb, or what was left of it anyway.

From what he'd heard so far, no one had been able to get much of anything from it. No prints, no serial numbers, nothing. But they didn't have his eyes. He picked it up and frowned. Such a small device, capable of creating so much damage. It was lucky that no one else was seriously hurt on that bridge.

He turned it over in his hands, scanning it inch by inch. Nothing. He sighed as he put it back down, there was nothing here to lead him to anyone. He needed proof that Romano was involved, but how was he supposed to get it? He couldn't do anything as the Blur, not in daylight anyway.

He needed to be Clark again, if for no other reason than he missed his life. He missed his friends, his parents, he even missed his job. But most of all, he missed Lois.

Romano's suspicions would undoubtedly soar after hearing of his comeback, but that was something that Clark was going to have to deal with. He intended to prove that Romano was responsible for his attack and that of the Mayor. He wished that he'd been able to do it as the Blur and come back knowing that everyone around him would be safe, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that wasn't going to happen.

Hearing sounds of the staff starting to return, Clark sped out of the building, dialling Chloe's number on the way. It was time for Clark Kent to return to the land of the living.

* * *

Jonathan parked up his tractor next to the barn and headed inside to make sure the horses were all locked in for the night. Doing his daily routine had become harder since the accident on the bridge and not because Clark wasn't around to do his share of the chores.

He was worried about his son. Where was he? What was he doing? Jonathan hoped that whatever it was, Clark would come home soon.

He was about to head into the house when he heard a noise. Frowning, he made his way up to Clark's loft and was surprised when he reached the top to see Lois sitting on the sofa, with one of Clark's plaid shirts pressed tightly to her chest.

"Lois?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide as if he'd startled her.

"Oh Mr Kent, I'm sorry I didn't mean to…" She stood up quickly and for a second she looked so lost. "I uh, wanted to come here,"

"You don't have to apologise Lois, you know you're always welcome here. But what are you doing up here alone?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I guess I just wanted to…I don't know."

"You wanted to feel close to Clark?" he suggested, moving a little closer. She nodded and swallowed hard.

"This is the only place I could think to come. I went to see Romano today."

"Lois, you shouldn't be…"

Lois held up her hand, stopping him. "It's okay Mr Kent, I didn't get anything out of him anyway, but he knows that I'm watching him."

"Which is dangerous, Lois." _And definitely something Clark would not approve of_, he thought.

Lois didn't reply, instead she sank back down onto the sofa and Jonathan took a seat next to her. "I miss him." she said, very quietly.

"I know sweetheart, I do too."

"It's been three days," she huffed. "Three days with no news, how can there not be any news at all?"

Jonathan took her hand in his and she stared down at them, with such a sad expression that Jonathan's own heart ached for her. It was then he realised that she was the one Clark was going to spend the rest of his life with, assuming of course, that he came back soon.

He felt bad, that maybe if he'd been more supportive of Clark telling Lois his secret, he would've done it sooner, that she wouldn't be going through this pain right now. And it was a pain that he couldn't ease because he knew that telling her the truth now, would only hurt her more. She had to hear it from Clark.

"Listen to me," he said, turning so that he was facing her head on. "Clark's stronger than he looks, and I for one, do not believe that he isn't out there somewhere. He'll come home to us, you just have to have to faith."

"Yeah, well I don't do too well with the whole patience thing. And the more time that passes, the less chance there is that he's going to be found alive…oh I'm sorry, I…" she trailed off, annoyed at herself. Jonathan let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I just don't understand what Romano has against Clark, I can't figure it out."

"Lois, you're exhausted, you need to rest. When was the last time you got any sleep?"

"About a year ago." she replied with a dry chuckle. But then her face sobered and she looked straight at Jonathan. "I know that I don't like using the term, but Clark isn't just my boyfriend. He's my best friend, he understands me in a way that nobody else ever has. He makes me feel safe," Her lips tilted into a sad smile.

"He always cheers me up when I'm down, we joke around and he's always making me laugh. I uh…I love him for his imperfections, and his ability to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world that he…that he will ever love." Her voice broke as her shoulders started shaking.

Jonathan hugged her tighter, letting her talk, because it seemed like she needed to say this, to say it to him, Clark's father. It was as if she wanted Jonathan to know how much she really valued Clark.

"I know I teased him, I was an awful person to him when we first met but…"

"That's not true Lois. The truth is, you brought out a side of him that Martha and I had never seen before. He was never miserable around you because you kept him on his toes, he constantly had to think of something to come back at you with. And then you became friends, and I know that he valued that. You made him feel normal. Because of that, you helped him become who he is today."

Tears welled up in her eyes and before he knew it, she was crying. He wrapped her up in a fatherly hug, squeezing her tight, feeling her sobs right down to the bottom of his heart, tearing at it. He stayed silent, just letting her get it all out.

No doubt she had been bottling this up for days and one thing he'd learned about Lois, was that she was a vulnerable person, who masked it well. She never asked for help from anyone, but that didn't mean that she didn't need it sometimes.

Eventually, after a while, her tears subsided and she pulled back, sniffling and looking embarrassed that she'd just revealed that much of herself. Jonathan stroked her cheek with his knuckles and patted her on the shoulder, letting her know that it was okay.

"I'm going to find out what happened to him, Mr Kent." she said, adamantly, with a gleam in her eyes that worried Jonathan.

"That's not a good idea Lois. If this guy is responsible for what happened to Clark, the last thing you should be doing is putting yourself on his radar."

"I'm already on his radar because of the Blur. He wants me to get him to come out of the shadows, to show his true self."

"And you told him no, I take it?"

"Of course I did. The Blur can't come forward because if he did, no one would ever leave him alone. How can he help people if they know who he is."

Jonathan felt a sense of pride fill his chest. Lois was protecting his son, she just didn't know it yet. "Tell you what, why don't you stay here tonight?" Jonathan said, interrupting her as she was about to protest. "You need to sleep Lois, you can't go on like this much longer. And one of Martha's home cooked meals would probably do you some good too. I know she'd love to have you stay here too."

Lois looked unsure for a few minutes, but then eventually nodded. "Thanks Mr Kent."

Jonathan smiled and stood up, looking back at her. "Don't thank me Lois, this is your home as much as it is Clark's. You'll always have a place here."


	25. Chapter 24

_**Chapter Twenty Four**_

Martha awoke to the sounds of pots and pans clattering downstairs. For a second, she wondered who it could be, Jonathan was already out in the fields, but then she remembered that they had a house guest.

One who had been uncharacteristically quiet for the last two days. She got out of bed, threw on a robe and headed down to the kitchen to see Lois rushing around, looking flustered.

"Lois?"

"Oh, Mrs Kent, you scared me. I thought you were having a lie-in."

"I was." Martha replied, surveying all the dishes with a smile.

"I'm sorry if I woke you. But I just wanted to make you breakfast, you know, to say thank you."

"You don't need to do that, Lois." she said softly.

She studied the younger woman's complexion. She was still pale and obviously still wasn't getting any sleep. In all the time she'd known her, Martha had never known Lois to be up this early. That girl loved her sleep.

Lois shrugged and turned back to the stove to stir the eggs. "I know, but I wanted to. You and Mr Kent have both been so kind to let me stay here for the last two days. I wanted you to know how much I appreciate it."

Martha walked up behind her and looked at the eggs. "You might want to turn the heat down a little sweetheart. And you don't have to say thank you. We love having you here. And you looked like you needed the rest."

"I did, but I have to get back to work today. Gary called me earlier, he had a change of heart and gave me the name of that guy who tried to mug me. I'm gonna go talk to him, find out if Romano was the one who put him up to it."

Martha frowned. "I don't like the sound of that Lois."

"I can't just sit around doing nothing. I feel like I need to be doing something, anything, to get rid of this…" She placed a hand over her chest. "Ache I have here."

Martha grabbed her hand and urged her over to the counter in the middle of the kitchen. Forcing her to sit, Martha then took the eggs off the stove and sat down next to her.

"Lois, I understand how you feel, I do. But getting yourself in danger is not what Clark would want."

"I know, Mr Kent said the same thing." Lois replied quietly.

"And he's right. You know why I wanted you to stay with us Lois?"

Lois shook her head.

"I wanted you here not only because you needed to get away from the city, but because you are a part of Clark. A big part. He loves you very much, and has for a long time. When I see you, I'm reminded of that and I don't feel as if he's a million miles away from us."

"A long time huh? What took him so long to tell me?"

Martha chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know. The Kent men are stubborn that way. Jonathan was the same, it took him a while to admit his feelings for me. And you know why? Because he was a farmer and I was a city girl. He didn't think he had anything to offer me. But he couldn't have been more wrong."

"Do you think Clark ever felt that way about me?"

"No sweetie." she replied, smoothing some of Lois' blonde hair behind her ear in a motherly gesture. "You and Clark have a special bond, nothing can break it. My mother always used to tell me that whenever a boy was ever mean to me at school, it meant that he secretly liked me. I think that's how it was when Clark met you."

Lois laughed. "Well I know we bantered a lot, but he wasn't exactly pulling on my pig-tails."

"Still, I think it was because he didn't quite know how to handle you. You were so passionate and fiery and apart from Chloe, he'd never met anyone like that before. You challenged him."

Lois scoffed lightly. "I guess that's one way of looking at it. We couldn't stand each other back then."

"I don't think that's true. You two were never mean to each other, you just rubbed each other up the wrong way sometimes. But I could tell that you both respected each other. And now look, you're both in love and I couldn't be happier that my son found someone like you." Martha squeezed her hand softly. "You're the daughter I've always wanted."

Lois' eyes misted over. "Thanks Mrs K, that means a lot. My mom will always be my mom, I love her so much. But you've become my mom over the past few years. You welcomed me into your home when you didn't have to and I'll never be able to repay you for that. You gave me advice when I needed it, love and support. Thank you."

"Oh stop, or I'll start too." Martha said, wiping her eye. "Now, let's see what's going on with these eggs huh?"

Lois' face changed to a grimace. "Well I don't think they'll be edible by now."

"Nonsense, we'll fix everything." she replied, looking Lois straight in the eye. Lois knew that the meaning behind that sentence was about so much more than the breakfast.

* * *

Later that evening, Lois was driving in Metropolis, trying to find the address that Gary had given her. She knew she owed him big time for this, he could get into a lot of trouble if anyone found out. So she had to make this count. Find out anything she could from this guy.

She wasn't stupid, he'd already attacked her once, so this time she had come prepared. There was a taser gun in her bag and her cell phone was in her pocket, ready to dial if she should need to. She spotted the street sign she was looking for and turned into the road.

As she parked the car, she almost jumped out of her seat as her phone started ringing. She glanced down at the lit up screen, it was Chloe.

"Hey Chlo, what's up?"

"Lois, you need to get home right now." Whatever it was sounded urgent.

"Whoa, calm down, what is it?"

"Just trust me Lois, you need to get here. Right now!" And then she hung up.

Lois stared at her phone for a few seconds. It couldn't be…could it? A strange feeling worked its way into her chest as she turned her car around and drove back the way she'd come.

"I'm not sure about this Clark, you've been missing for five days, how are we going to explain that?" Chloe asked as she paced around the Talon apartment.

Clark was sitting on the bed, looking as nervous as she felt. Lois was on her way, now, and Chloe honestly had no idea what she was going to say to her.

"I swam to shore, lost consciousness, woke up and found myself lost. I stayed in a cabin in the woods until I felt strong enough to try and find help."

"Sounds great, but you were in a car _explosion_ Clark. You don't have a scratch on you."

Clark pursed his lips for a minute before starting to unbutton his shirt.

"Whoa, what are you…? Oh my God, Clark what happened to you?" Chloe's jaw dropped as she looked at the cuts and bruising on his torso. They looked to be a couple of days old, just starting to heal, and they went up as far as his neck.

"How?"

He opened his hand to reveal a small pebble, no bigger than a quarter, and it was glowing.

"Please tell me that isn't what I think it is." she said, closing her eyes and turning away.

"I have no choice Chloe. It's the only way Romano will get off my back. I have to make it look realistic."

"This is stupid, not to mention dangerous!" she yelled. "That stuff can kill you Clark!"

Clark shoved the pebble in his pocket and stood up slowly, wincing a little as he grabbed her shoulders to keep her still so she would look at him. "It's not, I know what I'm doing Chloe. It isn't enough to hurt me, just enough to make me weak so that I can appear injured. Romano knows that the Blur is pretty much invulnerable, so this will, at the very least, throw him off the scent."

"And what about Lois?" she countered.

"I'm going to tell her the truth. It's the least she deserves after what I've put her through." he said sombrely.

"Well you better think fast because I think I just heard her car pull up outside."

"She's here?" he asked, getting a little panicked. Then he listened and nodded. "She's here, I can hear her heart beating. It's really fast."

"I'm gonna meet her downstairs, give her a little warning before she sees you." Chloe said, walking to the door. She gave him one last look of disapproval before walking out.

Clark paced back and forth, feeling the nerves kick up a notch. She was here, and he'd missed her so much. Even though he'd been keeping an eye on her, he'd missed holding her, touching her, kissing her. For now, everything else could wait, just a little while longer. He just wanted to see the woman he loved.

"Chloe what is going on? You call me sounding all urgent, then you hang up? What the hell?" Lois asked as she stormed into the Talon. Chloe intercepted her on her way to the stairs leading to the apartment and forced her to sit down.

"I need to tell you something Lois. Clark's here."

Lois' eyes widened so much that Chloe thought they were going to fall out of her head. "Wha…what?"

"He's back and he's here."

"Where? Upstairs?" Lois was out of her seat before Chloe could even stop her.

She ran up the stairs and burst into the apartment, stopping dead just inside the doorway. There before her stood the man she'd been missing for five days.

Two pairs of pained eyes locked on to each other, the silence grew thicker. Words failed her, her heart was beating so hard she thought it would give out at any second.

Then without a word, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder and for once, she didn't hold back. She let herself cry, felt his big, strong arms around her waist, holding her close. The relief surging through her was almost paralysing. He was alive, and he was here. She could touch him, hold him, kiss him.

"I'm here Lois, I'm here." he soothed, stroking her hair, taking in her scent, feeling it calm him almost immediately. When she pulled back, she cupped his face in both hands and stared, as if trying to make sure that he was real. And then, she kissed him. It was the sweetest, most passionate kiss he had ever had. A kiss that conveyed so much.

"I thought you were dead. I didn't want to believe it, but I thought it. Oh God, Clark…" She hugged him again, tightly, as if she were afraid to let go.

"I've missed you so much, Lois." he whispered. "Let me look at you." He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling her down next to him. Gently, he pushed her hair back from her face and looked into her eyes.

"Where were you?" she asked, her voice breaking a little, even though her eyes were shining with love. "What happened to you? Are you hurt?"

"Sshh, we'll talk later. I just want to be with you right now."

She nodded and let him pull her closer. Tucking her head under his chin, she sighed. "I can't believe you're here. I've been going crazy with worry."

"I'm here Lois. And I'm not going anywhere, I promise." As he stroked her hair, he could practically feel the tension leave her body.

He looked up and saw Chloe standing in the doorway, the disapproval was still there, but now there was also a smile.


	26. Chapter 25

_**Chapter Twenty Five**_

"Well you better pray that she doesn't find you again! Do not speak a word to her, got it? We have a deal, and if you so much as squeak to anyone, I'll have your ass thrown in jail faster than you can even blink!"

Romano slammed the phone down in a fit of rage. That meddling, know-it-all! Lois Lane had apparently discovered the identity of the man who'd attacked her. The man he himself had defended in his bail hearing. Ethan Pierce had just called him to say he had seen Miss Lane sitting outside his house in her car yesterday afternoon, but she'd received a phone call and driven away without getting out.

This was not good, she was getting too close. There was no way that a woman as smart as Lois wouldn't be able to trace this back to him, though he thought he'd been careful. Using the man's drug addiction against him was a wise move, it kept him compliant but it didn't mean that he wouldn't talk under the right circumstances. He had to make sure that didn't happen. Ethan was a smart man, very smart, it was part of the reason Romano had chosen him.

He sank down into his chair and picked up the Daily Planet that was lying on his desk. A small headline in the bottom corner caught his eye again as it had this morning.

_**Local Reporter Survives Car Explosion, by Chloe Sullivan**_.

When Anthony had first read the article, he'd experienced several emotions. The first of which being relief that he hadn't killed an innocent young man. Then he'd smiled because if Clark Kent wasn't dead, and he'd survived a pretty heavy duty bomb, then he must be the Blur.

But according to the article and the quotes from a doctor Emil Hamilton who works at Metropolis General Hospital, Clark had suffered severe wounds to his torso, consistent with being thrown into the water and his subsequent escape. Apparently, Mr Kent had swam to shore, gotten lost in the thick forests surrounding the river bank, and decided to lay low in a cabin for a few days. When he felt strong enough, he'd gone for help.

As far as Romano knew, the Blur could not be hurt by anything, he was invincible, it would appear. So who was he?

A thought struck him as he stared out of his large window overlooking the city. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Of course, killing Lois was out of the question, because she was way too smart not to have at least told someone that she was investigating him, if something happened to her, it would lead them straight to his door.

But she had struck up a rapport with this so-called hero. He would come for her, he always did. It was like she had her own personal guardian angel. So yes, he would come for her, and when he did…? Show time.

* * *

Lois walked into Clark's bedroom and stopped just inside the doorway. She smiled, watching him as he slept. He seemed so peaceful and after everything he'd been through, she needed to see him like that. The thoughts in her mind had been so horrific that only seeing him this way could erase them.

She placed the tray down on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed on his side. He must've sensed her presence because he reached for her, pulling her down to him without even opening his eyes. As she snuggled into him, careful not to hurt his chest, she raised her hand to caress his cheek. With one finger, she traced his features, smiling as his nose twitched in response. Then his eyes opened and she lost the ability to think for a moment.

"Hi." he said, his voice deep and sensual.

"Hey yourself." she replied, leaning in to give him a kiss. God, she'd missed those lips, those eyes, that smile.

"You're up early."

"I wanted to make you breakfast," she said, moving so that he could sit up. When he did, she placed the tray over his knees and sat back down next to him.

"You didn't have to do this Lo." he said with a sigh, as if he wasn't happy about it.

"I wanted to. Besides, I can't claim all the credit, your mom helped me." She snagged a piece of bacon from the plate and waited for him to dig in. Instead, he picked up the paper.

"Oh, Chloe's story ran this morning. With any luck, Romano will be reading that right now and feeling the burn of failure."

Clark's expression was guarded as he read the article, which she couldn't understand. He'd been so quiet since the doctor Oliver had hired showed up and examined him yesterday and it was starting to worry her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, pointing to the bandages that she'd put on his chest last night. Truthfully, it had felt nice, taking care of him like that. Not that she wanted him to be hurt, the sight of his wounds made her want to cry, but it was nice to feel him, touch him. To know that he was real and not a figment of her imagination.

Yesterday had been such a long day, his parents had been great though. Once she and Clark had gotten back to the farm, Martha had been fussing around both of them, making them all a great big meal and by the time the sun started to set, she and Clark had both fallen asleep.

She'd been so exhausted, but hadn't wanted to take her eyes off him, for fear that he would disappear. But once he'd snuggled up to her in bed, she hadn't lasted long with his hand gently running through her hair.

"Fine." he replied tightly. But then out of nowhere, he turned his whole body towards her, taking her face in his hands, he kissed her lightly on the lips. "I love you Lois."

"Where did that come from?" she chuckled.

His stare was intense. "I'm so sorry for what I've put you through these last few days, I never meant to hurt you. Never _you_."

She patted his hands. "Hey, it's okay. It's not exactly something you could help, is it? I'm just so glad to have you back in one piece. Now come on, eat up, you need your strength."

"Lois, you don't have to fuss, I really am okay."

Lois scoffed as she stood up and started getting dressed. "Yeah, I would be fine too after surviving a car explosion. Come on Clark, humour me a little, please?"

Wordlessly, he picked up a fork and started eating, never once taking his eyes off her. "Where are you going?"

"Work, I've left Chloe holding down the fort on her own and I kinda feel bad about that. We still have a lot of witness reports to go through on the Mayor's attack."

"Oh, anything I can help with? I was supposed to be on this case too."

"Hell no! You're staying here where your mom can keep an eye on you. And don't even think about arguing with me Smallville, you know I always win in the end."

"Oh, okay."

She stopped and looked at him, was he pouting? That man was so adorable sometimes. "I'll be back soon. And I think your mom and dad would like some time with their son. Without me getting in the way."

"Lois, you don't…"

"It's okay. Look, they were as worried as I was when you were missing, I have some things to do, and then I'll be back and we can snuggle up and watch movies all night. Okay?" She sat back down and kissed him again.

Slowly, he smiled and nodded. "Okay."

"I'll be home before dinner, I promise."

* * *

Later that evening, Clark paced around the farm house, worried. Lois hadn't come back. She'd promised to be back before dinner, but that had come and gone. Normally he wouldn't worry, but with him only just returning the day before, he knew that she would've rushed back. Something was keeping her away. He hoped it was just a story.

"I'm sure she just got held up at work, son." Jonathan offered as he helped Martha clear the dishes.

"Then why isn't she answering her phone?"

"I don't know, maybe she has it on silent?" Martha suggested, but he could tell that even she was a little concerned.

"Lois never has her phone on silent mom. Something's wrong. I can feel it. I'm going to the Planet."

"Wait, Clark. Is that a good idea?" Martha asked, stopping him at the door.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you really want this Romano guy to believe that you aren't the Blur, then rushing around the city less than a day after you return isn't the way to go about it."

"I know that mom, but…"

"Look, why don't you try Chloe again? Maybe she's with her somewhere."

Clark shook his head and sighed, but dialled Chloe's number anyway. "There's no answer either. Where are they?"

Jonathan and Martha shared a worried glance, one that didn't go unnoticed by their son.

* * *

"I told you to take Lois Lane! Not Chloe Sullivan." Anthony screamed into the phone.

"I'm sorry sir, but she was with her and she wasn't about to leave her. I had no choice. I saw an opportunity and I took it." Ethan said, his voice quivering.

Romano took a deep breath and willed himself to calm down. This actually could be a good thing. The Blur was hardly likely to ignore two people in danger now was he? Not that he would ignore Lois anyway.

"Fine, just don't screw this up. Do you have everything ready?"

"Yes sir, the cameras are all set up and facing the women."

"We're not gonna catch him with the cameras alone, the man moves faster than a  
speeding bullet, we need something to slow him down."

"Like what?" Ethan asked.

Romano smiled. "I have an idea."

* * *

Lois struggled against the ropes holding her, grunting as she felt them dig into her skin.

"Give it up Lois, we're trapped." Chloe said, her voice echoing in the empty, dark room.

"Well aren't you a ray of sunshine." Lois sneered, ignoring her as she continued. She couldn't believe this, she and Chloe were leaving the Planet, heading for their cars when they were jumped from behind by three men.

Lois had managed to knock the first one out but the second two were strong and as soon as she felt the cold barrel of the gun against her neck, she knew it was over. It had to be Romano, she was obviously onto something with him. But why was he pulling Chloe into it too?

"Well I'm sorry but being kidnapped kinda makes me a little cranky." Chloe shot back.

"This has to be Romano."

"Lois, don't you think it would be better if you concentrated on staying alive, rather than trying to pin this on the DA? For now at least?"

Lois sighed and gave up on her ropes, she was an army brat, she knew her knots, whoever had tied this was a pro.

"I have to get back to the farm, I promised Clark I would be back for dinner. He's gonna be worrying about me and…"

"And what?" Chloe asked.

"I don't want him to come looking for me, he needs to rest." Chloe didn't reply, instead she just looked the other way. "I guess there's only one thing left to do."

She drew in a deep breath and opened her mouth.

"Lois don't!" Chloe yelled.

"What?"

"Don't call the Blur, this could be a trap for him."

"How?"

"Don't you think it's a little strange that we've just been dumped in this room, tied up and no one's around? And look, there are cameras everywhere. This is a trap Lo, so that we'll call for him."

Lois nodded, knowing that Chloe was probably right. "So what are we going to do?"

"Well for starters…" A man's voice said in her ear, making her jump. Where had he come from? "You can shut the hell up."

"What, no hello, how are you? Well that's just rude." Lois said sarcastically, aware of her cousin's wide eyes urging her to do as he said.

The man chuckled darkly. "You are a wild one aren't you? Listen sweetheart, you're going to do me a favour."

"Yeah, because tying someone up and holding them at gunpoint is the way to get them to do you a favour."

"Shut up! I want you to call for your precious Blur."

"What? I don't think so."

She heard the click, two of them actually and felt the cold metal press against her temple. But as she was about to tell him where to go, another man moved around Chloe and held a gun to her head.

"Call for him."

"No."

"I don't think you get it, I'm not giving you a choice here. Either call for him, or watch your cousin's brains decorate the walls. Then you'll be next."

Lois couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not, and it scared her because the man who held a gun on Chloe looked like he meant business.

She squeezed her eyes shut, unsure of what to do. She couldn't risk the Blur exposing himself, but she wouldn't watch her cousin die either.

Clark ran as fast as he could, the sound of Lois' heartbeat strong and fast in his ears. She was in trouble and she was terrified. He followed the sound all the way to an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city and stopped. Using his x-ray vision, he could see four figures inside. Two were tied to chairs, and two were standing up, holding guns on them. One was Lois, but who was the other?

"You don't have to do this," he heard her say. _Chloe_. They had Chloe too? He had to get in there.

As he moved forward, he froze, there were cameras everywhere. It was a trap. For him. As he heard the man shout at Lois, demanding that she call for him, Clark knew he was running out of time. He took out his cell phone, called Oliver and told him to get there as fast as he could. He needed back up.

Lois grunted in pain as the man grabbed a handful of her hair and twisted it around his hand. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. "Listen buddy, even if I call for him, there's no chance that he would walk into a trap."

"Oh I don't know about that, he seems to be quite smitten with you blondie, he'll come."

"Did Romano put you up to this? I gotta tell you, he needs a lesson in subtlety."

"Romano? The DA? You're off your rocker lady. I'm in this for the money. Identifying the Blur will earn me enough to buy an island." the man laughed. She wished he would move in front of her so that she could see his face.

"And who exactly would be paying you this money?" Chloe asked, her face a mask of fear. She was terrified, and Lois wanted to do anything she could to stop her feeling that way. She had to get them out of this, somehow.

"Let them go!" A dark voice called out, from a corner where no one could see. _No, get out of here_, she thought.

"Oh you're good. She didn't even call you yet." The man behind Lois said, and she could practically see his grin in her mind. She could hear it in his voice.

"Step forward, show your face."

"Let them go."

"Step forward or I'm gonna plug your little girlfriend here. No, on second thought, the cutie pie will be first…" he said, pointing to Chloe. "And then, if you still refuse…" He made a popping sound, indicating what he would do to Lois next.

The figure in the shadows stepped forward and Lois found herself holding her breath. But then, as some green leather appeared, she let it out in a rush. _Ollie_.

"Who the hell are you?" The man demanded, obviously he hadn't been expecting Green Arrow to crash the party.

"A friend of the Blur's. Sorry he couldn't make it, but he had other urgent things to attend to."

He raised his crossbow and in a flash, an arrow shot out and took down the thug behind Chloe. It was an arrow designed to be much like a taser, knocking him out straightaway.

"Now, let's try this again. Let. Them. Go."

Suddenly there were several tiny little explosions as every camera in the room started spitting out sparks. Then Lois felt a rush of wind, and knew that he was here. She couldn't hide the grin as a shadow appeared behind Oliver. This was the closest she'd ever gotten to him, well without being unconscious.

In a flash, the man behind her was on the ground, out for the count, and as she looked up, the Blur's face was barely visible. No, it couldn't be. She felt sick, her mind finally allowing her see him for the first time.

"Clark?" she whispered. He moved back suddenly, as if realising that his face wasn't completely hidden by the shadows.

"Clark!" she yelled, somehow knowing that it was him. Slowly, he stepped forward, the light creeping up his body inch by inch. As his face finally came into view, Lois gasped.

"Well don't just stand there, help me untie them." Oliver said, moving towards Chloe.

"You knew." Lois said, and Oliver froze, his expression telling her all she needed to know. Chloe's too.

"You all knew."

_To Be Continued..._


	27. Chapter 26

_**Chapter Twenty Six**_

"You all knew."

Clark stood still, very still. It was almost as if time had frozen around him and all the others, cocooning them in a bubble that would never break. The silence was deafening, Lois' eyes growing dimmer by the second as she realised the truth. And with each passing second, Clark knew that he had to do something, anything to stop her from assuming the worst.

"Someone get me out of these damn ropes!" she snapped, avoiding Oliver's eyes as he cut them for her. Clark stayed where he was, not entirely sure what he should do. His feet felt like they were glued to the ground, his gut sinking as the realisation hit home of just how bad this could be.

"Lois…"

"Don't! Don't say anything Chloe, I don't want to hear it!" she said, standing up. "You _knew_ and you didn't tell me. Didn't even let on, not once. I thought we were family." she said and Chloe couldn't even look her in the eye.

"We are, it was only to protect you…" Chloe quickly trailed off, leaning against Oliver, she knew there was no good way to finish that sentence.

Then Lois looked at him. Eyes fixed, Clark knew he had this coming and braced himself, but to his surprise, she just turned away and walked out. Chloe and Oliver shot him questioning looks, wanting to know what to do now.

"This is why I told you to tell her!" Chloe yelled before stomping off herself.

Oliver came over and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll take care of this place, these guys, and make sure none of these cameras picked anything up."

"Thanks." Clark heard himself say, but couldn't remember forming the word.

Oliver opened his mouth to say something else, but thought better of it and quickly followed after Chloe.

Clark hung his head for a minute, where had it all gone wrong? He had intended to tell her tonight, to finally let her in. But now it had all been blown out of the water and here he was, standing alone. He had to make it right, he had to make her realise.

* * *

Lois stumbled across the uneven yard outside the abandoned warehouse, a numb feeling in her chest. It was strange, she realised as she tripped over numerous rocks that were poking up in the rubble, she couldn't actually feel anything. It would come, later, of course it would. But right now, at this moment, she just couldn't feel.

"Lois." she heard him calling her name, and kept walking.

"Wait! Lois, please stop!" She felt his hand on her arm, trying to stop her, but she kept going. Eventually she was on even ground and able to stand without twisting an ankle or two and only then, did she turn and face him.

"You're the Blur." It was no longer a question, it was fact. The Blur was standing right before her very eyes.

She'd dreamt of this moment, of meeting him. But not once did she ever dream that it would be Clark. Not because it seemed impossible, but because after everything they'd been through, she'd thought he would've told her by now. Seems that wasn't the case.

"Yes, I'm the Blur, Lois." he replied, his face twisted in remorse.

Lois nodded slowly. "I see. And you were planning on telling me…when, exactly, on our golden anniversary?"

"Tonight, I was going to tell you everything tonight."

She folded her arms, putting up an effective barrier between the two of them. "So basically, you're a liar."

Clark's face twisted a little more at that remark and he reached for her, only for her to pull back. He placed his hands down by his sides and bunched them into fists.

"I never wanted to lie to you Lois, but I wanted to pro…"

"If you so much as utter the word 'protect' I will kick your ass, super powered or not!" she hissed.

"But it's true. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. I never wanted to hurt you, but…"

"Oh God, your parents knew." She threw her hands up in the air. "Well of course they know, but how could they…your parents, Chloe, Oliver?" Her eyes darted up to his, steely cold. "How could you all let me believe that you'd been blown up?"

"Romano was coming after me, Lois. I didn't want you involved, so I thought it would be best to stay away, to convince him that I wasn't the Blur until I could figure out a way to stop him."

But Lois wasn't listening, in her mind she saw images of the burning car, the carnage it had caused on that bridge, the feeling in her heart as she realised that her Smallville had been inside it.

"Lois, say something, please?" he begged.

Slowly, she shook her head. "You let me think you had died." she whispered. "You let me think that the man I loved was dead."

He lunged forward to reach for her again, but she lurched back and turned away. She didn't get more than two steps before she felt a gust of wind and he was there, right in front of her, his face agonised.

"Stay away from me Clark, I mean it."

"Lois, you have to believe me, I never meant to hurt you."

Lois let out a bark of laughter. "Believe you? I…" she trailed off as another thought came to mind. "I talked to him…_you_. I talked to the Blur while you were missing."

Eyes full of accusation bored into his. "You called me, you told me you would help find him. How could you do that? Was it fun for you? To see me suffer like that? What, did you call just to see how broken up I was about you? Feed your ego a little?"

Clark looked horrified by that idea. "No! Lois, you don't understand I was worried about you and…"

"I don't want to hear it! That's why Chloe was so quiet whenever I said that I thought you were still alive. I refused to believe you were dead. Oh I bet everyone was having a good old laugh behind my back."

She stormed away and this time Clark didn't try to stop her, he just walked alongside of her. "Nobody was laughing Lois. I never told my parents about where I was. Or Oliver, they had no idea."

"So it was just Chloe? How long has she known about you?"

Clark didn't answer, but the look in his eyes said it all. "A long time then." Lois drew in a lungful of air and let it out in a rush, she felt sick, humiliated, hurt. But on top of all that, she felt angry.

"I never wanted it to happen like this." he murmured, stopping. She paused and looked back at him. "I just wanted you to be safe, Lois. I love you too much to let anything bad happen to you."

"Well luckily for you, that's not something you have to worry about anymore."

Clark's eyes widened for a split second, fear showing on every inch of his face. Suddenly, he grabbed both her shoulders, forcing eye contact from her. "I'm so sorry Lois."

"You don't seem to get it, do you? You're the _Blur_, Clark!"

"I know. But trust me Lois, I _was _going to tell you!"

"We slept together! You slept with me, knowing that you're the Blur. Didn't it occur to you to tell me before we did something like that? I gave you the most intimate part of me, I gave you my heart, my soul. And for what? What did I get in return? LIES!"

"I wanted to tell you, but I…we, I wanted to be with you so badly and you were so upset about Chloe I just…I'm sorry."

Lois couldn't have stopped herself even if she'd known what she was about to do, it was like she was moving in slow motion. But the second her fist connected with his jaw, she howled out in pain.

"Lois!" Clark reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.

"Don't touch me! Haven't you done enough?" He stared at her hand for a few seconds, intently and then he grimaced.

"It's broken, we should get you to the emergency room."

"WE aren't going anywhere. I don't need you Clark!"

Tears shined in his eyes. "Lois…I don't want to lose you. You're the best part of my life. Please, don't give up on us. We can work this out."

She started walking again, refusing to allow her own tears to fall. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing that.

"I can't lose you Lois!" he yelled, so much pain in his voice, but she no longer cared.

"You already have…and there is no _us_. Not anymore."

Clark watched her walk away, his heart feeling like it had been torn from his chest and stamped on, over and over. And it was all his fault.

* * *

"Give her time Clark, she'll come around, I'm sure of it." Jonathan said a little later at the farm. Clark was sitting at the kitchen table, numb, nursing the same glass of water that his mother had put in his hands over an hour ago.

"No she won't. You didn't see her dad, she was so…angry and hurt." Clark closed his eyes but the image of Lois' face wouldn't leave him. The hurt in her eyes, it was overwhelming to the point that he just wanted to cry. But as she'd walked away, what had scared him the most, was the look she gave him. There was no love there anymore, only hate.

"That's to be expected sweetheart, we all kept something from her. We're all to blame." His mother said, looking scared enough herself. And guilty.

"No, I'm to blame. This is my fault. I should've just been honest with her from the start of our relationship. But I didn't want her to get hurt." Clark put his glass on the table and leaned his head in his hands. "I love her so much, this is killing me."

He felt both his mom's and his dad's hands rubbing his shoulders supportively, but he didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve to be comforted.

A knock at the door had all three of them looking up, Clark even more so. He knew it was futile but he couldn't help but hope that it was Lois. Instead, he felt a wave of disappointment as Chloe walked inside, fresh tears gleaming in her eyes.

"Chloe? What's wrong?" Clark asked, sensing something immediately from the sad look on her face. "Is Lois okay?"

"I don't know." she replied, looking stricken.

Clark grabbed both her shoulders. "What is it? What's happened?" he asked urgently.

Chloe looked up at him with sad eyes. "I got back to the apartment to find all her clothes, most of her stuff…gone."

"No." he whispered, his worst fear realised.

"I'm sorry Clark, she's gone."


	28. Chapter 27

_**Chapter Twenty Seven**_

Clark drew in a deep breath and studied the building with growing nerves. The butterflies in his stomach were getting worse by the second, and though he tried to tell himself to calm down, it just wasn't possible in that moment.

After five months, he was going to see her again. He'd resisted the urge to go after her straight away because he knew that he would be the last person she would want to see. He knew that she needed space from him, and after everything he'd done, he was willing to give it to her.

But that hadn't stopped him from missing her, from feeling like he'd lost a limb. The day she walked out of his life had been the worst, and the months following had been like living in a world where no colour existed. There was only grey, dark and lonely.

He glanced down at the address he'd been given, then back up at the building. With the mountains in the background, it was a beautiful place to live. And the last place on earth Clark had expected to find Lois. It had literally been like pulling teeth trying to find out where she was, and the General wasn't the easiest person to convince.

He'd been so angry when Clark had turned up, asking for Lois. He'd told him that she'd come straight to him, but left about a month after. But Clark had explained the situation to him, and after telling him exactly what he thought of him for hurting his daughter, the General reluctantly gave him the address of where she worked on the condition that he leave her alone, emotionally speaking.

Clark hadn't been able to make that promise, because he knew that as soon as he set eyes on her again, he was going to want to take her in his arms and never let her go. But he couldn't, and that was down to him, he needed to remember that.

He blew out a breath, bracing himself, and stepped inside. He sat down at the bar and less than a minute later, a man approached, smiling politely.

"What can I get you buddy?"

"Uh, I'm looking for someone, I was told she works here." Though Clark couldn't for the life of him figure out why she would be working in a quaint little tavern in Colorado Springs.

"Oh yeah? Who's that then?" the man asked, leaning his elbows on the bar. He was quite a tall guy, about mid twenties, with short brown hair and an air about him that just screamed military.

"Lois Lane. Do you know where I might be able to find her?" As soon as he'd said Lois' name, the man's face scrunched up.

"What do you want with Lois?"

"I need to talk to her, please, its important."

The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he gave Clark the once over. "I suppose you would be Clark, right?"

Clark blinked in surprise. "Yeah, how did…?"

"Oh Lois has told me all about you." he replied, his tone dripping with contempt. "And she doesn't want to see you."

Clark reigned in his temper. "With all due respect, that's not your call to make."

"The hell it isn't!" The man hissed, leaning forward menacingly. "I have seen her go through enough because of you!"

"I understand that, but this isn't about me and it is urgent. So either tell me where she is, or I'll find her myself."

The two men clashed gazes, both blazing with anger. Finally, as if realising that Clark wasn't about to go anywhere anytime soon, the man stood back and, reluctantly, pointed over to a corner of the room. Clark squinted, trying to see through the crowd of people, feeling more and more like a pariah with each passing moment.

"I don't see her."

"She's right there." he said, pointing again and the impatience in his tone told Clark that he'd wanted to add a particular word onto the end of that sentence. "Back table, right in the corner, the one doing paperwork."

Clark's eyes widened, that was Lois? She looked so…different. He got up and made his way over to her, his eyes taking in every detail. Then as he got to the table, she looked up and the shock on her face made him falter for a moment.

"Clark! What are you doing here?"

"I uh…" He'd had this great speech all planned out, but the moment he'd laid eyes on her, it had gone flying out of the window and he was left bumbling through his words. "I needed to see you."

"How did you even find me?" she asked icily. So she was still angry at him, not that he could blame her. He just thought that five months apart would've lessened it a little. He hated seeing that look in her eyes.

"I uh, I like your hair…it's different." Clark mentally slapped himself, _I like your hair? What the heck was that?_

"Yeah, a lot about me is different Clark." she replied, running a hand through the chocolate brown locks. It was longer than he remembered too, falling way past her shoulders in gentle waves. "What do you want?"

Without waiting for an invitation, he took the seat opposite her. Before she could protest, he spoke. "Lois, I know I'm the last person you want to see right now. But I needed to find you. You have to come back to Smallville."

Lois snorted. "And why would I do that?"

"Because we need you, Chloe needs you." That got her attention and Clark saw the brief flash of concern in her eyes before she carefully masked it behind indifference. He neglected to mention that he needed her too. Seeing her now, brought back every memory he had with her and he missed her so much.

"So?"

Clark steeled himself against the tone of her voice, there was no warmth there at all. "After you left, Chloe continued looking into Romano's involvement with the car bombing and your mugging. A few weeks ago, there was another attempt on the Mayor's life and this time she was injured. She's stepping down from office in the next election, and Romano announced his decision to run for Mayor…"

Lois held her hand up to stop him. "Stop! You came all this way to ask me to help Chloe with her article?"

Clark blinked. "Of course not. Chloe's in the hospital!" Clark blurted, immediately regretting it when Lois' jaw dropped.

"What? Why?"

"She found a witness report on the last attack, someone saw a man running away from the scene and he matched the description of the person who tried to mug you. I think Chloe was getting too close and Romano wanted her out of the way. She was in a hit and run. The police still haven't found the driver."

"Oh no." Lois' hand flew up to her mouth, concern etched on her face. "Is she okay?"

Clark stayed silent, not sure how to answer that. He didn't want to put all this on her, not now. But he had no choice.

"Clark, answer me, is she okay?" Lois demanded.

Slowly, he shook his head. "No, she's in a coma. That's why we need you to come back Lois, I don't want something to happen to her without you having seen her first."

"Oh God." Lois murmured to herself. She shook her head violently. "This isn't possible. It can't be." Then she flashed angry eyes on him. "Where were you when all this was happening?"

Clark felt the colour drain from his face. "I was busy…"

Lois squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. "I guess that wasn't fair."

"So…will you come?"

She glanced up at him, and he was stunned to see sadness before she shook her head. "I can't."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I just can't. Not yet."

Clark leaned forward, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Lois…didn't you hear me? She may not have a lot of time left."

"You don't understand, I _can't_."

"I can't believe this, I know what we did…what _I_ did, hurt you badly, but I never thought…" He stood up and stared down at her. "She's family Lois, no matter what I put you through, remember that." He walked away, feeling absolutely awful.

Lois watched him go, fighting the urge to call him back. He was disappointed in her, but she just couldn't do it. Seeing him had been enough of a shock, she honestly hadn't expected him to turn up here. It was one of the reasons she'd chosen this place.

She'd always known that she would have to see him eventually, but she hadn't prepared herself for the feelings that would come with it. The anger, betrayal, it was all still there, no matter how much she had tried to put it behind her. She closed her eyes, knowing that she was going to have to face the music sooner or later.

She had to go home.

* * *

Clark hadn't realised how tired he'd been until he felt someone tugging on his shoulder, later that afternoon. He woke up to find that he'd fallen asleep at Chloe's bedside, and Oliver was standing over him. He looked terrible, no sleep, he wasn't eating and Clark was seriously worried about him.

"How is she?" he asked quietly, as if Chloe were only sleeping and he would wake her up.

"No change, sorry. I uh…I found Lois today."

Oliver's brows rose, hope written on his face. "Is she coming?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"What?" he hissed. "She's her cousin!"

"I don't know what to tell you Oliver, she's still very hurt. We can't blame her for that. She'll come, I know she will, she just needs a little time, that's all."

"Time is something we may not have Clark!"

Clark looked at Chloe, a lump forming in his throat. He should've been there, he should've protected her. But since Lois had left, the three of them had barely had much contact.

"It's the best we can hope for right now."

Oliver nodded, sighing. "I guess you better go…" There were sirens going off in the distance. "Sounds like someone needs your help."

Clark nodded and bent down to kiss Chloe's forehead. "I'll be back tonight." he whispered to her.

Oliver sat down and gently took Chloe's hand in his. He pressed it against his cheek as he laid his head on the bed beside her.

"Come on Chlo, this is getting ridiculous now. You need to be waking up."

* * *

Later that night, well into the early hours of the morning, Clark returned to the hospital. For the past three days, he'd forced Oliver to let them sit with her in shifts so that he would go home and get some rest. After all, Clark didn't need it as much as Oliver did.

He walked past the nurses station and nodded, greeting them as he always did, and then walked into Chloe's room. There was a figure sitting in the chair at her bedside, and as he turned on the light, he let out a small gasp.

"Lois."

She turned her head, but didn't say anything. "I'm so glad you came, I…"

"I'm only here for Chloe," she said.

He rubbed at his chest, trying to ease the dull pain that her words caused. "I understand that, but thank you anyway." He walked around the other side of Chloe's bed, and frowned when Lois started to stand.

"You don't have to go just because I came, I'll leave." he said softly. But as she stood, his eyes took in the whole length of her, and he felt his stomach clench.

"Lois…you're…?"

Lois pressed her lips together and folded her arms in front of herself, to act as some sort of shield and Clark felt the feeling spread to his heart. There was definitely a lot that was different about her, Clark thought, remembering her words from earlier that day. And it wasn't only her hair.

Lois was pregnant.


	29. Chapter 28

_**Chapter Twenty Eight**_

Both of them stood in silence, the only sound in the room being that of Chloe's heart monitor, beeping away. Clark couldn't get his thoughts to align properly, his head felt like it was spinning and he to sit down.

"How…uh…when did…okay, you're gonna have to explain this to me. Because I'm having a really hard time here, Lois. You're pregnant!"

"I got that news flash, thanks." she said sarcastically, sitting back down in her chair. She rested her hands over her bump as she watched Clark's face go through all sorts of emotions. Shock, disbelief, confusion. Then finally it settled on disappointment.

"I didn't realise that you'd moved on so quickly." he said, more to himself than to her. It was like a punch to the stomach, realising that she had someone else in her life now.

"What are you talking about?"

One corner of his mouth tilted up into a sad smile. "I really blew it with you, huh?"

"This isn't really the time to talk about this Clark. I'm here for my cousin." she said, and for the first time since he'd seen her that morning, she wasn't looking at him with hatred. But it wasn't exactly loving either.

"So when can we?" he asked.

She kept her gaze on Chloe, a little too much, he thought. She was purposefully avoiding looking at him. "When can we what?"

"Talk. About this." She still wouldn't look at him and he was getting increasingly frustrated. "Lois!"

"I don't know!" she yelled back. "Okay? My head is all over the place at the moment, you show up out of the blue, after I told you I never wanted to see you again, you tell me my cousin's practically dying and then you expect me to sit here and talk? I just need a minute to catch up here Clark."

Clark sat on the edge of his seat, refusing to allow her off the hook. "Is the baby mine Lois?"

"What?" she asked, shocked.

His eyes bored into hers, demanding her complete attention. "How far along are you exactly?"

Realising he wasn't going to give up anytime soon, Lois sighed. "Five and a half months."

"But you've been gone for five months." Clark said quietly, doing the math in his head. "Then that would mean…"

Lois waited for him to make the connection. Eventually, as all the colour drained from his face, she knew that he'd worked it out. "This is my baby?"

Lois felt a momentary pang of guilt. "I never wanted you to find out this way, Clark. For that I am sorry."

"Sorry? You're sorry? How could you not tell me about this?" he said, his voice rising.

"Oh you really want to get into the whole keeping secrets thing right now?" she shot back.

But he wasn't backing down on this. "I can't believe you would do that! Do you know how long I've wondered if I would ever be able to have this? To have a child of my own?"

Lois looked down at her hands and he had to get up and walk over to the window to calm himself down. He couldn't believe it. He was going to be a father and she hadn't even told him.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" he asked quietly after he'd regained some composure.

Lois looked surprised that he'd even ask her that. "Of course I was. But I needed time, Clark." He spun around, hurt and anger showing on his face.

"I know what I did was bad, but I never thought you could hate me this much."

Without waiting for a reply, he crossed the room and walked out into the hallway.

Lois looked at Chloe, feeling terrible. "I guess I had that coming huh?"

Bracing his arms against the railing on the wall, Clark forced his anger back. The most important thing to remember here, was that he no longer had to worry about never having a child with a human. But then, that alone raised all sorts of questions.

Obviously Lois was doing okay, since she didn't appear to be having any problems and she looked healthy enough. He rubbed at his chest again, that sore ache would not go away.

_Who are you kidding Clark, she looks as gorgeous as ever. Only now, more so_.

Pregnancy seemed to suit her. He was going to be a father, but he still wasn't getting what he'd always wanted the most. A real family. At best, he would be raising this child with Lois, as separate parents, and that hurt. Worst still, would she still want to live in Colorado, or would she move back here? He simply didn't know.

"Clark…" Lois came out of the room, looking guilty. _Well, she should_, he thought. "I am sorry. I never meant to keep it from you for this long, believe me on that. But everything got so messed up. I didn't know what to do myself. I panicked, and I ran."

Something about the way she said that sent alarm bells ringing in his head. "Lois, when you first found out that you were pregnant, you didn't…think of…"

Her eyes went as wide as saucers, right before she turned an angry shade of red. "How could you even think that? Let alone ask me that!" She stormed away, down the hall and he knew that he should go after her, but he couldn't. Not yet. Not until he'd gotten his head around this. It was one heck of a bombshell.

* * *

Early the next morning, Clark was finishing up a few last minute chores on the farm, but his mind was on other things. Something that Jonathan had noticed very early on.

"Something bothering you, son?" he asked as they loaded the last of the hay onto the tractor trailer.

Clark wondered if he should tell him, but at the moment, until he'd had a chance to speak to Lois and sort things out, he just couldn't. So he opted for the next best thing. "Lois is back."

Jonathan nodded, understanding. "How is she?"

"Angry, hurt. You know…the same."

"Well I can't say I blame her, but isn't she taking things a little too far? Moving to Colorado seems like a pretty drastic step."

"She had her reasons. I'm sure I'll find out what they were soon enough." Clark replied, throwing the hay onto the bed with a little more force than was necessary.

He hadn't slept a wink last night, there were too many questions floating around in his head. And with Lois' current mood, he wasn't going to be getting many answers anytime soon.

"Why don't you go and see her? Talk to her?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, dad. I'll let her get settled before I do that. I want to, but right now I just…I can't."

The way Jonathan looked at him, Clark knew that he was very aware that there was something he wasn't telling him. But he didn't push.

"Okay, well we're done here. Why don't you go and see Chloe?"

"Oliver's with her. If you don't need me, I think I might go to the Fortress. I need to talk to Jor-El about something."

Jonathan nodded. "Okay."

~~~~~~~~~~

Lois stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. As she did so, she caught sight of herself in the full length mirror and paused. She looked different somehow, than she had yesterday. She seemed a little fuller, her belly was very clearly rounded now and as she rubbed a hand delicately over her skin, she smiled.

"Hey there baby." she murmured and was rewarded with a kick. It was a pretty strong one, causing her to gasp a little, but it soon passed. It was the most amazing feeling in the world.

There was a knock at the door, breaking her out of her thoughts. Slipping into a robe, she went to answer it and her smile faded when she saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, but stepped aside to let him in.

Clark stood in the middle of the Talon apartment's living room, looking like a lost soul. He was sad, she realised. _No Lois! This is exactly how you'll get pulled back in, keep your distance_.

"I'm sorry for what I said last night. I didn't meant to ask you that."

She walked around him and started making some tea. "It's okay Clark. You were in shock. I get it."

"How are you?" he asked, taking a seat at the counter opposite her. Lois noticed his eyes moving a little lower so she pulled the collar of her robe together a little tighter.  
He quickly noticed and averted his gaze.

"I'm okay. How's Chloe this morning, any news?"

"No, still the same. Oliver's with her now. We're taking turns to sit with her."

"That's good."

Clark shrugged. "It means that he can go home and get some rest, not that I think he really does."

Silence fell and neither knew what to say. They both knew that they had to talk about the elephant in the room, yet Clark didn't seem particularly eager to bring it up.

So she guessed she would have to. "I want to show you something." She walked over to the table and took something out of her bag. As she handed it to him, he frowned.

"It's a book that I was keeping. Details of my pregnancy, everything's in there, doctors appointments, sonogram photographs, everything."

Clark opened it and gasped. There was a picture, a little grainy, and there really wasn't much to see, except for a tiny little blob in the middle. He pursed his lips, and turned to the next page. Another photo, with a larger blob. He kept flicking through until he got to the middle of the book but the last page that had been written on. On it was her most recent photo. And it was so very beautiful. His fingers grazed the page, that was his baby. He looked up at Lois, through watery eyes.

"I kept it for you Clark. I know that I should've told you, but I…I just couldn't face you. Not yet. So I kept this, so you wouldn't miss anything. So you see, I was going to tell you. I _never_ planned to keep it from you, I couldn't do that to you, no matter how much I was hurting."

"Thank you." he whispered, closing the book. "So what does this mean?"

"I honestly don't know. But…I know that I want you to be a part of this baby's life. You're the father, and a child needs their father."

Clark nodded, but looked dejected. "I want to be there Lois, for everything from now on."

"Okay." she replied, unsure of how she was going to cope with having him around all the time. But she would deal with that later. "Do you wanna know what it is?"

Clark's eyes brightened. "You know?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It's a little boy."

A broad grin erupted from his face and he stood up, about to hug her, but then thought better of it. "That's amazing. We're having a son."

Again, she nodded. Because words were failing her right now. She winced, feeling the baby kick again.

"Lois? Are you okay?" Clark asked, noting her expression.

"Yeah, uh…" She hesitated for a moment, then said. "Give me your hand."

Clark reached out and she took his hand, pressing it over the spot where the baby was kicking.

"Whoa, he's strong." Clark said, in awe.

"Tell me about it." Lois replied, trying hard not to think about Clark's large hand almost covering her abdomen.

He looked tentatively at Lois. "Can I uh…talk to him?"

Lois took a deep breath, then nodded. But before he could, there was a knock at the door. She smiled apologetically and went to answer it.

Clark stood back, a wave of new emotions he'd never felt before washing over him. Happiness didn't quite cover it. He was going to be a dad, and he'd just felt his son kick for the first time. But even that wasn't enough to overshadow the loss he still felt at Lois being so distant. He was no fool, he knew that this changed nothing between them.

As Lois opened the door, a man charged in and drew her into a hug. Clark moved forward, but stopped, recognising him as the bartender from the tavern where he'd found Lois. He'd followed her here?

"Lois, how could you just go MIA without telling me where you were going? I've been going out of my mind with worry."

"I'm sorry, but I told you that my cousin needed me." She backed off and stood between the two men. Clark felt his heart sink as he realised what was right in front of him.

"A little warning would be nice next time, I thought Clark had kidnapped you…oh, hi Clark. I didn't see you there."

Lois grimaced as she looked at Clark. "Clark, this is Fletch. Fletch, this is…"

"We've already met." Clark said, darkly.

_To Be Continued..._


	30. Chapter 29

_**Chapter Twenty Nine**_

"What are you doing here?" Lois demanded, standing with her hands on her hips as she looked at a smiling Fletch.

Clark had left about a minute ago, stating that he had somewhere he needed to be, which Lois somehow knew was code for 'I have to go and save someone' and she couldn't help but feel bad about the sudden interruption.

Though she did wonder if Clark was just saying that to get out of the apartment, she'd never heard of the Blur making saves in the middle of the morning before. But then again, he was very fast, perhaps no one even knew.

"I told you, I was worried about you."

"I can take care of myself Fletch, you didn't have to be such a jerk." She sat down on the sofa, burying her head in her hands. Fletch sat down next to her.

"What was he doing here anyway?"

"It's none of your business. And _he_ is the father of my child, in case you missed that point."

"I know very well who the father is Lois." Fletch said, all traces of laughter gone now. He was very serious. "I also know very well, what kind of state you were in when you showed up on my doorstep, four months ago."

"I know, I realise that. But things with Clark…well, they're complicated."

"Look, I get that you can't totally cut the guy out of your life, but come on Lois, he hurt you."

"I know that Fletch, I don't need reminding."

"Then why are you even letting him in your apartment in the first place?"

Lois glared at him. "Maybe because he just found out that I'm carrying his baby and he wants to be involved. Come on, Fletch, what do you want from me?"

Fletch smiled and nudged her shoulder with his. "I want you be happy kiddo, that's all."

Lois' anger dissipated and she found herself smiling back. "You could've at least called before showing up like that. I can't imagine what Clark's thinking right now."

"Does it matter? I thought you were done with him."

Lois frowned, though Fletch didn't know the whole truth of why she'd left Smallville, he knew enough, and in his mind, she shouldn't care.

"I am, it doesn't matter to me anymore." she said with a shrug as she got up and walked into the kitchen area.

He got up and followed. "Uh-huh, then why were you so angry when I showed up?"

"Look, I'm tired, I didn't sleep all that well last night, I'm worried about my cousin, and you are not helping the situation, okay?"

Fletch held up his hands, backing off. "Okay, but at least tell me this much. If you truly don't care about Clark anymore, then why are you so concerned about what he thinks?"

That was a good question, Lois thought. Why did she care?

* * *

Clark plonked himself down on the sofa in his loft a few hours later, his head still a jumble of thoughts. In his hand, he clutched the book that Lois had given him. Opening it, he smiled at the pictures.

He'd been worried, when Lois had told him the baby was his, worried that she wouldn't be able to handle a half Kryptonian pregnancy. That it would hurt her in some way. But Jor-El had assured him that if she had made it this far with no real problems, he saw no reason why she wouldn't make it all the way.

That being said, Jor-El wanted her to visit the Fortress, so that he could run a few tests, just to make sure that everything was okay. The big question was, how was he going to get her there?

So far, since she'd been back, all mention of him being the Blur, or having powers of any kind, had been avoided. Almost like a silent pact, meaning that he was afraid to bring it up in case she got angry again.

And then there was Fletch, the bartender who was sticking his nose in where it didn't belong. Clark had never wanted to hit someone so much before. That was why he had left in such a hurry, he couldn't handle seeing him acting so 'friendly' with Lois.

Footsteps coming up the stairs snapped him out of those thoughts and he quickly tucked the baby book under the sofa cushion.

"Clark? I thought I saw you come back, are you okay?" Martha asked as she came to sit next to him. Clark should've known it wouldn't take long for her to find him out here, it was like a sixth sense, but his mom always knew when he was suffering.

"I'm fine mom."

Martha studied him for a long moment, as if she didn't believe him. "Your father told me about Lois. How is she doing? It can't be easy to find out that your cousin is in the hospital."

"She's dealing with it as well as she can." he replied, realising that he actually hadn't asked Lois how she was feeling. He'd been too wrapped up in the whole baby issue.

"Is she still angry?" Martha asked, and Clark knew she was hoping that Lois wasn't angry with her. It had devastated her when Lois had taken off, and not knowing where she was all that time, only made it worse, for all of them.

"Yes and no. We haven't really talked about what happened yet."

"Do you think you will?"

"I don't know, right now it's all such a mess." He looked at his mother with sadness. "I don't know how it got to this point Mom. How do I fix it?"

"Oh I don't know sweetheart, I wish I had the answers for you, but I don't. I guess it's just going to take time. Lois had her trust broken, by all of us. She felt betrayed by everyone she loved, and it will take her a while to get past that. Trust is a fragile thing."

Clark nodded, knowing that what she was saying was true, but secretly wishing that there was some magical way he could make all right again. "Mom, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

He stood up, and started pacing in front of her. "I don't quite know how to tell you this."

Once he said it, that was it. No taking it back. And he didn't want his parents to be disappointed in him. He knew exactly what his father would say, that he'd been irresponsible. Jonathan had always had rather old fashioned views when it came to pre-marital sex. He was hoping that his Mom would take it better and then somehow convince his dad to go easy on him.

"Clark, what is it honey?"

"Okay, well…Lois is…pregnant."

Martha let out a sharp gasp and covered her hand with her mouth. Then her face changed into a sympathetic look. "Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

Clark frowned. "No Mom, you don't understand. She's pregnant…with my baby."

"Oh…I see…"

"Mom?"

"Um," Martha blinked, looking like she was desperately trying to be supportive, but this had really thrown her for a loop. He knew exactly how she felt. "I don't understand, she only just came back last night, right?"

"Yeah, she's over five months pregnant."

"So you two had…"

Clark felt his cheeks heat up, talking about this with his mother wasn't exactly comfortable. "Yeah. I never planned for it to happen Mom, you have to believe me. Neither me or Lois saw this coming."

"You're only twenty-one years old Clark," He knew what she was getting at, that he should've been more careful, that he should've known this could happen.

"How could I have known this would happen, Mom? It's not like I had any clue that I could actually have children with a human." He walked over to the window and stared out at his father working in the field. He dreaded what he was going to say.

"I'm sorry honey, that wasn't fair and I do understand. I guess I'm just in shock. I never expected to be a grandmother this early." she said, and a small chuckle followed it. Clark turned around, seeing her walk towards him with a smile.

"But I guess my little boy is all grown up now. You're going to be a father." She pressed a hand to his cheek and smiled, with tears gathering in her eyes.

"Yeah, I am. _Grandma_." he teased, drawing her into a hug. Martha squeezed him tightly, almost as if she never wanted to let him go.

"And what about Lois? Is she okay?"

"She seems to be." he replied, his smile fading. "She's still so distant, but she said that she wants me to be a part of the baby's life. I want to be involved, he's my son."  
_My son_. Wow, he'd never in his whole life believed he'd be able to say those words. It was such a strange, yet amazing feeling.

Martha gave a little squeak, that made Clark burst out laughing. "A grandson! Oh my, I can't believe it! A little boy!" Then her face fell. "We have to tell your father."

"Do we have to?" Clark said, almost whining. "He might never notice."

Martha gave him a pointed look. "I think he might notice a little boy running around, that looks like you and calls you daddy. I'll tell him, tonight."

Clark opened his mouth to protest but she raised a hand. "No, I need to prepare him for this Clark. And you need to talk to Lois. She will forgive you sweetheart, just give her time. That's all you can do for now."

"What would I do without you, Mom?"

Martha chuckled. "You'll never have to worry about that." She sighed in contentment. "Oh, my little baby is having a baby."

Clark grinned, relieved that at least his Mom had taken the news well. One down, one to go.

* * *

Later that evening, Clark was at the hospital, doing his shift and sitting with Chloe. He was reading the Daily Planet to her, hoping that if she heard enough familiar voices, she would wake up. But there was no sign of that happening just yet. The doctor had told them that her brain waves were good and she was responsive, so she should come out of it. They just didn't know when.

The door opened and he glanced up to see Lois standing in the doorway. "Oh, sorry, I'll come back."

"No!" He shot up out of his seat. "Please, come in."

She took a seat close to Chloe's bed and reached for her hand.

"I can go, if you want to be alone with her." Clark offered. Lois didn't even appear to hear him as she stared at Chloe.

"Lois?"

"I couldn't sleep." she said, in a quiet voice. "I haven't slept for so long, I think I'm starting to hallucinate."

She sounded so exhausted, Clark just wanted to gather her up and hold her. But he couldn't.

"Is it the baby?" he asked.

"No, it's me." Then all of a sudden, she started crying. "I'm a terrible person."

"What? That's crazy!" He rushed around to her side and crouched down next to her.

"I didn't tell you I was pregnant. I ran half way across the country to get away from you all, and I wasn't there when she needed me." _She_, meaning Chloe, he realised.

"Lois, you're not a terrible person. I understand, I really do. And I was the one who made you leave. None of this is your fault."

He touched her shoulder, and she gently eased away from his hand. Wow, that hurt. She still couldn't stand to be touched by him.

Slowly, the tears stopped and she was left looking annoyed. "Stupid hormones. I've been like this a lot lately. One minute I'm fine, the next…"

Clark figured that the best thing he could do right now, was distract her. "Listen Lois, I know that you don't want to talk about what happened between us, but there are a few things that I need to tell you."

"Such as?"

Clark didn't even know where to begin. "Well, you remember when I told you that I was sent to earth as a baby?"

"When you were talking to me as the Blur?" she said, her eyes holding a hint of accusation. "Getting yourself in the papers?"

"Lois, please. I'm trying here."

She sighed and nodded. "Go on."

"My father created a place for me to go, a piece of my home planet. I've been going there every day for training since you left."

"Training?"

"Learning about my planet, my people. This planet, _everything_ Lois. My father left an AI version of himself, the technology was very advanced and I can actually talk to him. I told him that you were having my baby."

Lois shook her head, clearly overwhelmed but she held it together pretty well. "And?"

"I wanted to be sure that you were going to be okay. He wants to meet you, run a few simple tests, just to be on the safe side."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. This is for our baby Clark, I can hardly say no."

Clark let out a relieved breath. "Good. That's good."

"Wait a second, if you've been going there everyday, does that mean…did you quit your job at the Planet?"

Sheepishly, he nodded.

"So Chloe was left dealing with all of this Romano stuff on her own?" She groaned and leaned her head back against the chair. "Why did you quit?"

With a croaky voice, he said. "Because I couldn't stand to work there, seeing your empty desk, day after day. It was too hard."

Lois didn't say anything to that, and he figured maybe he'd revealed too much.

"Well Romano's not going to get away with what he's done to her. I have a meeting tomorrow morning with the new editor-in-chief. Apparently Pauline doesn't work there anymore either. Is anything the same as when I left?"

Clark did not like the sound of that. "Lois, I don't want you in the middle of this, it's too dangerous."

She shot him a look of angry disbelief. "Well, you don't get to make that call anymore. You saw to that yourself."

"I don't get a say? Lois you're pregnant. With _my_ baby! And I don't want you in the middle of this." he said, refusing to back down.

"I'm not gonna chase him around town Clark." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid, I know that I can't take risks, but I _can_ expose the truth. And I will. I can't let that creep become Mayor of this city in a few months."

Clark knew that whatever he said now, would fall on deaf ears. Damn it, why did she have to be so stubborn. "Well the only way I'm letting you back through those doors, is if I come with you. And we work as a team again."

She snorted. "No way."

"I realise that you hate me Lois. But I'm not budging on this one. You either work with me, or not at all."

There must've been something showing in his eyes, something like determination, because she looked at him, and then sighed.

"Ugh! Fine, have it your way. But nothing's going to change Clark."

"I know, you still have Fletch. Is that even a real name anyway?" he asked with disdain.

"Wow, you really don't like him, do you?" For the first time in a long time, she smiled.  
"His name is Ben Fletcher, but he's always been Fletch to me. Ever since we were army brats on the base where I grew up. I owe him a lot. He was there for me when…" she trailed off, but Clark knew what she'd been about to say.

"When I wasn't? It's okay, I get it. I don't have to like it, but I understand that you've moved on."

Lois lost her patience. "Oh for goodness sake, stop with the pity party! He's not my boyfriend, okay? He's one of my best friends, well the only real one I have left now."

Clark had never felt such relief. He knew that it shouldn't make him happy, but he didn't care. "I'm sorry. I just assumed…"

"That's your problem Clark, you always assume. So when does your father want us to go and see him?" she asked, steering the subject back onto safer ground.

"We can go tomorrow if you want? After your meeting?"

Lois nodded, then tried hard to stifle a yawn. "Okay, but tell me, these tests, they aren't going to hurt the baby, are they?"

"No, not at all. He'll be perfectly safe." His eyes caught hers and held them. "I would never let anything happen to him. Or you."

Lois nodded and leaned her head back again, her eyes starting to look a little heavy.

"Lois why don't you let me take you home?" he asked as he stood back up, looking down at her.

"No, I'm okay."

"You're almost falling asleep. Come on, you can't sleep in a hospital chair."

"No, I'm staying with Chloe. But you can go, if you want."

Clark knew by that tone, that he wasn't going to get her to move at all. And it made him wonder if she really did want him to go. "No, I'll stay."

She shrugged and closed her eyes. "Suit yourself."

Clark released the breath he hadn't even realised he'd been holding, and sat back down in his chair on the opposite side of Chloe's bed. By the time he looked back at Lois, she was fast asleep.

_To Be Continued..._


	31. Chapter 30

_**Chapter Thirty**_

The following morning, Lois woke up in her own apartment. She distinctly remembered falling asleep at the hospital, so how…? _Clark_. He must've brought her home last night. She wasn't sure whether to be angry about that or not, since he'd obviously used his powers to get her here fast so that she wouldn't wake up.

It was sweet in a way, but she couldn't afford that type of thinking, so she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. When she came out half an hour later, Fletch was standing in the kitchen, making breakfast and whistling. Crap, she'd almost forgotten that he was staying there.

"Well it's about time you woke up. I thought you were gonna sleep the week away." He looked up and frowned when he saw her gathering her things. "Where are you going?"

"I have to get to the Planet, I have a meeting."

"Not without breakfast you're not."

She rolled her eyes, sometimes he was just like a mother hen. "I'll grab something on my way there, I'll be fine."

She'd just gotten to the door when he grabbed her arm and forced her into a seat at the table. "Sit. Stay. You're eating for two now, remember? You have to start taking care of yourself."

She sighed and leaned her chin on her hand. "I know, you've been giving me this lecture for the last four months."

"Well it's about time you started listening to me. Or do I have to call your dad in as reinforcement?"

She knew it was an idle threat, since Fletch didn't actually like the General. "Traitor." she muttered under her breath. But he did have a point. She checked her watch.

"Okay, I guess I have time for something…" A plate full of food was placed in front of her. "...small." she finished. "You don't honestly expect me to eat all that, do you?"

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day Lois. Eat up kiddo."

He went back to the stove and put some food on a plate for himself, whistling all the way. She wished she could be that happy and carefree. Though she had to remind herself that he wasn't exactly carefree.

Finally, admitting to herself that she was, in fact, starving, she grabbed a fork and started tucking in.

~~~~~~~~~~

Clark opened the back door to find both his parents sitting at the counter in the middle of the kitchen. His father was not wearing a look of happiness, that was for sure and Clark had been hoping that by sneaking out to do his chores, before his parents woke up, he'd be able to avoid this little confrontation. At least until after he'd taken Lois to see Jor-El. But it appeared that wasn't going to happen.

"Sit down son. We need to talk." Jonathan said, his tone strangely calm.

Clark took a seat and waited for the inevitable fireworks to start.

"Your mother tells me that Lois is pregnant."

"Yeah."

"With your baby."

Clark nodded. "Yeah but dad, you have to believe me when I say that neither one of us knew this could happen. It was as much of a shock for me as it is for you."

Jonathan nodded, but didn't say anything else for a while after that, and Clark wanted to yell at him, to make him talk. All this silence was killing him.

"I can't say that I'm not disappointed Clark. You're a young man, with your whole life ahead of you. Both you and Lois are very young for this kind of responsibility."

"We're not that young dad, you and Mom were already married by the time you were my age."

Jonathan gave him a 'don't be smart' look, and carried on. "Be that as it may, you're having a child. With a woman you're not married to."

Clark looked down at his hands, feeling his father's disappointment.

"But…I know that you've always wondered if this would be possible. That you could have what normal people have." Jonathan swallowed, this was obviously hard for him to say. "To tell you the truth, I'm actually a little relieved. Because we wanted this for you too, albeit, in the future, but we really did."

Clark couldn't believe his ears, was he seriously saying…?

"So although I'm a little disappointed, I'm also extremely happy for you."

Clark did a double take, sure that he'd just heard wrong. "Do you really mean that?"

Jonathan chuckled and came around the counter, pulling his son into a one armed hug. Martha looked on with tears in her eyes.

"I get to be a grandpa, and that's something I didn't think would happen. So of course I mean it. But how are things with you and Lois?"

"Strained. And that's the best word I can use to describe it. But I'm taking her to see Jor-El this morning."

Jonathan nodded. "Good, she'll come around Clark. Give her time."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but how much time do I have to give exactly?"

"That's like asking how long a piece of string is, there is no right answer Clark. You just have to be patient." Martha said.

"I know, but I just want her to forgive me, and I don't know if she ever will." he said glumly.

Jonathan squeezed his shoulders. "She needs to be able to trust you again, to trust all of us. And unfortunately, son, you just can't rush that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lois pulled up at the old Kawatche caves in Smallville and stopped the engine. She wondered why Clark had told her to meet him here. As far she could remember from her interview with him, and it still made her angry to think that all that time she'd been talking to her own boyfriend, she knew he could run faster than a speeding bullet. So why here?

She got out and walked into the caves, almost jumping a mile into the air when he spoke from behind her.

"You're here."

"Clark!" she yelled, putting a hand to her heart, dramatically. "Don't you know you're not supposed to scare a pregnant lady?"

"Sorry," he said, looking guilty.

She huffed out a sigh and looked around. She'd only ever been in these caves once before and that was blurry now. She'd woken up after passing out, to find herself dressed weirdly and in the company of Lana, Chloe and Clark.

"How did your meeting go?"

"It went fine. The new editor, Perry White, said I can have my old job back and my old desk. He wasn't too thrilled when I told him I was pregnant, but he said we can work around that when the time comes."

"Well, you're the best reporter they've got Lois, as well as Chloe of course. They'd be crazy not to take you back."

The earnest look on his face was softening her resolve a little so she took a step back and looked around. "So is this your Fortress thingy?"

She watched him as he looked around. He seemed at peace here. "No, this is just the way to get there." he said, leading the way.

She followed him to the back of the caves, into a little cavern in the wall, to a stone table lying in the middle of the floor. He took a small shiny object out of his pocket, it looked like an octagon or something. "I thought this way would be safer for you, although, uh…" he paused, looking conflicted.

"What is it?"

"You're going to have to hold onto me." he said, with a slight grimace.

"I don't have cooties Clark," she commented, dryly.

Clark swallowed. "No it's not…Okay, then."

He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close, a little too close for her liking but there wasn't anything she could do about it. As he placed the disc in a little slot, bright lights started swirling around them both and she found herself clinging to him.

For just a moment, their eyes locked, and she could feel the warmth from his gaze. Her eyes flitted briefly down to his lips, then back up to his eyes. And then suddenly, she could feel the coldness that Clark had warned her to dress for. She looked around and gasped.

Clark let her go, taking a moment to straighten his thoughts out. He was sure he'd seen something there, some hidden note of attraction in her eyes. No, it couldn't be. He dismissed it as he watched her looking around in awe.

"What do you think?" he asked, realising that her opinion meant a lot to him.

"It's beautiful Clark. Amazing." she said breathlessly. "You come here every day?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's peaceful here and I've been learning so much about everything."

"That's good," she said, meaning every word. "It's good that you're still doing what you do…you know, in the city. They still need the Blur."

"Welcome Miss Lane." Jor-El's voice boomed and Lois let out an involuntary yelp and took a step closer to Clark. He smiled, she hadn't even realised she'd done it.

"Who's that?" she whispered to Clark.

"That's Jor-El, my biological father. Well, the AI version of him anyway, the man himself is long gone."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Clark." she said, and for a second, he was reminded of the way she'd talked about his loss the night he'd given her an interview. The way she'd been so supportive and comforting. That all seemed like a lifetime ago now.

"It's okay."

She nodded and looked back up, unsure of where she was really supposed to talk to. "Uh, hi. Hi Jor-El. I'm Lois. But I guess you already know about me huh?"

"My son has told me a great deal about you Miss Lane."

"Please, call me Lois. Uh, you said that you wanted to run some tests?"

"That's correct, Lois. Since there has never been a child born of a Kryptonian and a human, it is in both yours and the child's best interests that I perform these tests."

Lois swallowed nervously. "Okay, well what do I have to do?"

The artificial voice filled the ice palace. "You need do nothing Lois, just remove your jacket and lie down on this table."

Out of nowhere, a table that looked as if it were made of ice, but was really crystals, appeared. Lois looked at Clark, nervous. He gave her a reassuring smile and nodded. She shed her jacket and climbed aboard. It was actually a lot more comfortable than it appeared to be. It felt like it was adjusting itself to accommodate the shape of her body, like a strange sort of gel. And she could feel a warmth spreading out from it, enveloping her, protecting her from the chill of the Arctic.

"I should get one of these for my apartment." she chuckled.

Clark came to stand by her side as a bright light started to glow all around her. There was a slight humming noise that slowly intensified, and Lois, feeling scared, grabbed Clark's hand. He squeezed back, letting her know that he wasn't going anywhere.

Their eyes connected through the swirling mist of lights and slowly, Lois' mouth tilted up at the corners. She squeezed his hand and frowned when the noise got louder.

"Clark, what is that?"

"It's okay Lois, just relax. It'll be over soon." he said in a soothing tone. And then…it was over. The light faded and the warmth from the table stopped.

"You may stand now Lois. I have completed the tests."

"Really? That was awfully fast." she said, letting Clark help her down and back into her jacket.

As she zipped it back up, she noticed Clark frowning.

"Jor-El?" he called, and it was only then she realised that he hadn't said anything for a few minutes. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Kal-El. Mother and son are both extremely healthy. Though there is one thing I am concerned about."

Clark felt a little fear snake into his heart. "What is it?"

"Lois, have you noticed that the child is strong?"

She shot Clark a quizzical look. "Uh, yeah I guess. I mean he kicks me a lot."

"As the child grows, he will become stronger. And he will develop faster than the normal rate of a human baby."

"And that means…what exactly?" she asked, worry etched on her features. Clark hated seeing it, but they had to know what was going to happen, even if it was hard to hear.

"Your pregnancy may not be an easy one Lois, and it will probably not last as long as others do. I am afraid there is nothing I can do to prevent that. But you needn't fear, your baby is perfectly healthy."

Lois blew out a breath. "Well I guess that's a relief huh?"

Clark knew that it was, but he couldn't ignore the warning either. "Come on, I'll take you home."

She nodded absently as she looked around the Fortress again in awe. "It really is beautiful here Clark. I guess one day, Junior will be learning all about this place huh?"

"Really?" Clark asked, shocked. He had no idea that Lois had even thought about something like that.

"Of course, he's going to want to learn all about his heritage and where his dad came from someday."

"And you're okay with that?"

She shrugged. "I don't really have a choice. But I won't deny my son his heritage. Especially one as awesome as this."

Clark smiled, and took her into his arms as he placed the key in the panel and took her home.


	32. Chapter 31

_**Chapter Thirty One**_

"Thank you all for coming, I appreciate your support…"

Lois tuned out as Romano rambled on about running for Mayor and turned to the one person she hadn't wanted to come here with. But since Perry had assigned her a temporary partner, she had to grin and bear it. But why, of all the people in the universe, did it have to be Cat Grant. This had to be some kind of karma, surely.

"I think we have enough Cat, let's go."

"Whoa wait a second. He hasn't even finished his speech yet." Cat replied, keeping her eyes on the would-be Mayor.

Lois rolled her eyes. "It's nothing we haven't heard before, and frankly I can't stand listening to him for one more minute."

Cat turned her sharp gaze on Lois. "We were both assigned to this political rally Lois, so that means that we _both_ have to stay and hear him out. Besides, he makes a few good points."

"Are you saying that because you believe it? Or because you want to get into his pants."

For a few seconds Cat looked deeply wounded, then she grinned wickedly, becoming the person Lois knew her to be. "Well, you have to admit, he is dreamy."

Lois looked back at Romano, bile rising in her throat as she thought of all the pain that man had put her through. "Yeah, if you're into psychos, that is."

"But seriously, don't you think he makes a good point about the Blur?"

"What about the Blur? Don't tell me you actually agree with him?"

"Well, if this Blur is such a hero, why doesn't he show himself? Romano's right. He can't keep hiding in the shadows."

"The Blur _needs_ to stay in the shadows, for now at least. There are too many people trying to bring him down, rather than focus on all the good he does for this city. He saves people, and he asks for nothing in return except privacy. I for one, think he deserves at least that much."

Cat simply shrugged in response, infuriating Lois even more. "So, how's your first week back at the Planet? I must say it's been a little weird seeing you there without your entourage."

"It's fine." Lois replied, through gritted teeth.

"Is Clark ever going to come back? He showed such promise as a reporter." Lois hated the way her eyes twinkled whenever she mentioned Clark. This woman was a man-eater, she would chew someone like Clark up and spit them out and he wouldn't even know what had hit him.

Lois snorted. "What would you know about that? You work in the lifestyle section."

Cat flicked her long, bleached blonde hair behind her. "Not anymore, Perry made us partners remember?"

"Temporary partners Cat, don't forget that. Chloe will be coming back and when she does, it will be back to business as usual."

"If you say so, Lois. I was so sorry to hear about her accident, and about you and Clark of course." she said, in a tone that suggested she was anything but sorry about it.

"It was no accident, and I intend to prove that."

Cat nodded, catching onto the fact that Lois hadn't even mentioned Clark. "So does this mean that Clark is officially on the market?"

"You'd have to ask him. But I'm sure he'll be happy to answer that question when he starts back at work next week. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go and visit my cousin."

"But we have to finish this…" Cat trailed off at the look Lois gave her. "Okay, yeah sure, I'll meet you back in the bullpen later. You should probably take a break anyway, get the weight off those ankles before they puff up."

The rumour mill in the bullpen had been working overtime this week, mostly fuelled by Cat, with news of Lois' pregnancy spreading like wildfire. Though she never openly admitted it, she'd never denied the truth when anyone asked if Clark was the father.

Lois ignored the little jibe and walked away, wishing that she were working with anyone but Cat Grant.

Anthony Romano finished his little speech and gazed out into the crowd. The people were eating up his every word, he would win this race for sure. In three months time, he would be the new Mayor of Metropolis and then he would stop at nothing to unearth the truth about the Blur's true identity. He was no fool, he'd kept a close eye on Clark Kent over the past few months, but the simple truth was, Clark was as ordinary as they came. So that still left the question: Who is the Blur?

He stopped dead, glancing across the crowd. It couldn't be. He thought she was gone for good. He watched her as she turned around, obviously in a heated discussion with her colleague. Lois Lane was back in town. And that was not good news for him. She would be sticking her nose in his business again, especially after what had happened to her cousin.

He frowned as he watched her walk away, her hand resting lightly on her stomach. Romano grinned as he waved absently to the photographers. Lois was pregnant, and that…well that would make the situation so much easier to contain.

Lois sighed as she walked into Chloe's hospital room, the exhaustion already taking its toll on her, and she was only half way through her day. Every day for the past week, she'd walked into this room, and hoped that she would be greeted by Chloe sitting up, smiling at her.

But every day she was disappointed, as she was again today. Chloe was still in a coma, and to her side, Oliver was asleep with his head on her pillow. She paused in the doorway, not wanting to wake him, but before she could even move, he raised his head and looked directly at her.

"Lois." he said, surprised.

This was the first time she'd seen him since she'd come back. As he stood up, she couldn't help but be reminded of that terrible night in the warehouse, of the look on his face as he realised they'd all been caught out. She tried to let it go, she really did, but the hurt was still there.

"How is she?" she asked, walking inside.

"No change." he replied. Then his gaze moved to her stomach. "How's the little one? Clark told me…I guess he was too excited to keep it quiet."

"He's fine."

Oliver sighed, getting frustrated with the lack of response from her. "You know Lois, none of us meant to keep Clark's secret from you."

Lois' eyes widened. Until now, no one had mentioned it, though she had only really seen Clark. She had yet to see Mr and Mrs Kent, though she dreaded what they would say when she did. Clark had told her that he'd told them about the baby and assured her that they were okay with it. But she still didn't know if she could face them.

"Really? What then, did you just forget?"

"It wasn't our place to tell you. You know that."

"You sat there Oliver, right in front of me, and let me believe that he was injured, or possibly dead. How could you do that?"

Oliver bristled. "And how could you just up and leave without telling anyone where you were going? Where were you when _she_ needed you the most?" he said, his voice rising a little.

"Don't you dare Oliver. Chloe kept this from me, she knew that he was okay and said nothing! You knew. But I guess keeping secrets from me never really bothered you that much did it, Green Arrow!"

Oliver's eyes flashed. "Oh, we're bringing up history now? You left your cousin to deal with this whole Romano/Mayor thing on her own!"

"I didn't know about Chloe's situation until Clark came to find me!"

"Five months, Lois. For five months I wondered where my friend was, if you were okay, what you were doing."

"Don't put this all on me Oliver, I'm not the one who created this mess."

Oliver gave her a look of mild contempt. "No you didn't, we did, you just ran away from it. Because staying to fix it would've been too hard for you."

"That's not fair." she said, not recognising the Oliver she used to know. He was looking at her with cold eyes.

"Isn't it? You wanna know what else isn't fair, Lois? After you left, Chloe broke up with me. We were drifting apart, all three of us, I barely saw Clark at all. Chloe was racked with guilt, she was worried about you. I was worried about you!"

Lois blinked, unable to speak. Was he saying this because he was stressed and tired and worried about Chloe? Of course he was, but there was something lying beneath the surface, anger that she had taken off without a word.

"I had no idea." she said quietly, she hadn't known things had gotten this bad.

"How could you? You were off in Colorado…"

"What, you think it was easy for me? Leaving? I couldn't look at you Oliver, I couldn't look at any of you, especially Clark. I felt like such a fool."

"And for that, I'm truly sorry." he said, looking like he meant every word. "But you could've at least called once. Just _once_ in the whole damn time you were gone."

He had a point, she realised. "I'm sorry. But I was hurting Ollie, I loved Clark so much and you all let me think he was…"

"Yeah, I know. But we can't change that, can we?" he replied, returning to his position next to Chloe.

Lois swallowed hard and waited, but he said nothing else and didn't look like he was going to. So she backed away, out the door and into the hallway. Only then did she take a deep breath and try to calm herself down.

Oliver was right, she should've called, if only to let them all know that she was alive and well. But she hadn't. She'd kept herself hidden away, without a thought of what it was doing to the people she'd left behind.

_So what? They betrayed you, all of them_, she reminded herself.

She hated this, this whole situation was a mess and she couldn't see any way out of it. Why had she even come back in the first place? There was too much pain here. She pressed a hand to her stomach as the baby kicked, reminding her of exactly why she'd come back. She wouldn't deprive her baby of his father, or Clark of his son. And she had to be here for Chloe.

Suddenly feeling like the world was caving in on her, Lois took off and headed for the one place she'd dreaded going, but knew she would have to eventually.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lois!" Martha exclaimed, shocked as she opened the door. "I wasn't expecting to see you…well, not so soon. Come in, come in."

Lois walked into the farmhouse, a feeling of nostalgia hitting her as soon as she crossed the threshold. How many times had she walked into this house, never once knowing the truth.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked, stopping in front of her in the middle of the living room. "Clark's not here, but…"

"I actually came to see you Mrs Kent." Martha's eyes flickered with hurt at the name Lois hadn't called her since she'd first arrived in Smallville. But she quickly masked it with a smile.

"I love your hair, it's beautiful. This darker shade really suits you." she said, reaching out to touch it but hesitating at the last moment. She let her hand drop back to her side. "Can I get you anything?" she asked politely.

Lois frowned, unsure of exactly what to say or where to even start. She looked at Martha and shook her head, raising her hands in an 'I don't know' gesture. Martha tilted her head and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Oh Lois." she said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"I just um…I need to know…why?"

"Why what honey?"

"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" she whispered.

Martha swallowed, closing her eyes for a moment. "I wanted to, I really did. But I knew that if Clark was staying away, it meant that you could be in danger. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but it didn't really matter either way, I still got hurt in the end."

"It wasn't exactly easy for us either Lois, Jonathan and I had no idea what had happened. The police turned up on our doorstep saying our son had been in a car explosion and was missing. Even knowing what we know about Clark, it didn't make it any easier."

Lois frowned, she hadn't known that the Kents hadn't been part of the plan. "But you asked me to come here, you wanted me to stay with you guys. Why?"

"Because we knew you were hurting and I didn't want you to be alone." Martha took a tentative step closer, slowly, as if she thought Lois were like a frightened deer and would bolt at any second. "I never wanted to hide it from you Lois. But it was Clark's secret to tell."

Lois sighed and rubbed her tired eyes. This was turning into a very long day and it was only the middle of the afternoon.

"We missed you." Martha said quietly.

Lois nodded. "I missed you too."

Martha smiled and then her tear filled eyes drifted down to Lois' protruding abdomen. "Clark told us about the baby. I'm so happy that I'm going to get a grandson."

"I know, he told me."

"He's worried sick about you, you know. About how this pregnancy will affect you."

Lois held up her hand, not wanting to ruin the progress they were making. "Please, I can't talk about him yet. Not yet."

Martha nodded. "I understand sweetheart, it's going to take time."

"How much longer do I have to wait before the hurt goes away? I thought five months would be more than enough." she said, her voice cracking a little.

Martha didn't wait for permission, she wrapped her arms around Lois and hugged her tightly. Lois kept her distance for a moment, not wanting to get too close, but then she found herself giving in. She hugged her back, relishing in the mother's embrace that she had been denied for so long. And it felt good.

"It will, Lois. It will."

"Promise?" Lois sniffled, stepping back.

Martha cupped her cheek, looking her directly in the eye with such softness. "I promise. Now, tell me all about my new grandson." 


	33. Chapter 32

_**Chapter Thirty Two**_

"Perry, are you kidding me? First you saddle me with Cat Grant, and now this?" Lois fumed as she sat in Perry's office.

Though she'd only been working with the man since her return to the Planet two weeks ago, Lois and Perry had struck up a bond, of sorts. He had become an ally in her war against Romano, sharing the feeling that he was up to no good. And it had been on more than one occasion where he'd had to talk her out of doing something that could've had bad consequences.

"Lois, I realise that this isn't exactly what you want, but one day you'll have to learn that as adults, we don't always get our own way."

That was another thing about Perry, he never pulled any punches. He told her exactly what he thought, and she respected that about him. She knew, however, that he hadn't been expecting the same from her. But he certainly got it.

"But partnering me with Clark? That is not going to end well, believe me."

Perry pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Lois, you're what, six months pregnant?"

She nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You can't very well be chasing down leads on Romano in your condition. And when you get a little further along, you need to be taking things easy. So Clark will be your back up." He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to speak. "Whatever's going on between the two of you, I suggest you sort it out, because I won't change my mind about this. Are we clear?"

She glared at him, wishing that she could force him to change his mind. Seeing Clark was one thing, she'd come to terms with the fact that she had to, and her relationship with his parents had been improving a lot lately. But working with him? Closely, day after day? She wasn't sure she was ready for that yet.

Perry's gaze softened as he looked at her. "Look Lois, I know you're in a rough spot at the minute, what with your cousin still being in a coma. But you have to look at the bright side here,"

"There's a bright side?" she asked, because right now, she honestly couldn't see one at all.

"Of course there is, in about three months, none of this will matter because you'll be a mama. And everything you thought was big, will suddenly seem so very small."

Lois sucked in a breath, even being as big as she now was, hearing it from Perry just now, made it all seem so very real. And a little scary.

"Hey kiddo, dinner's almost ready." Fletch said as she walked in the door later that evening. She threw her bag and keys down on the table and walked over to the kitchen counter.

"That smells fantastic. I'm starving."

"I thought you might be." he said with a chuckle.

She watched him as she took a seat at the table, slipping her shoes off her aching feet. He seemed so cheerful all the time, how did he do it? It had been a long day, and she just wanted to curl up and sleep for a little while before she went to visit Chloe.

She was lucky that she was allowed to visit her so late. But Oliver had made sure that Chloe was in a private section of the hospital and as such, she was allowed her own visiting schedule.

"Why are you still here Fletch?" she asked as he put two plates down on the table and sat down next to her.

He frowned. "Wow, that stings."

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant…well Ashley's gotta be missing you right now. Why don't you go home?"

"Ashley knows that I'm here for you. I don't care how long it takes Lois, I'm going to stay until I'm a hundred percent sure that you're okay."

"That's really sweet but you don't have to. I can take care of myself, remember?"

Fletch laughed as he picked up his fork. "Do I ever. The General was so mad that day, I mean how exactly did you manage to steal that helicopter, let alone fly it? And more to the point, how on earth did you drag me into it?"

Lois found herself laughing at the memory. "Well is it my fault that my father insisted I have flying lessons that he had no intention of letting me use? Come on, that helicopter was just sitting there anyways. And if I recall correctly, you were as into the idea as I was."

"I was fourteen years old and way out of my league when it came to you. I thought I was in love with you, I would've followed you to the ends of the earth back then."

"Drama queen." Lois rolled her eyes, tucking into her dinner with gusto. "Mmm, this is delicious," she said around a mouthful of pasta.

Fletch laughed and then his expression turned serious. "Lois, I want you to be happy."

"I will be." she said, her humour sobering now.

"It's just…when you came to me, I hated seeing you like that. I could barely get you to say a word for at least a couple of weeks."

"I remember Fletch," she said, getting slightly annoyed. He didn't have to remind her of the most painful time in her life.

"What I'm trying to say is, I remember how devastated you were when you came to Colorado, and I just can't see you go through that again. But what are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"With Clark. You've been back for two weeks now and you've barely talked to the guy, except about baby stuff."

She shrugged, not really wanting to discuss this with him. "What else is there to talk about?"

Fletch tilted his head, sending her a pointed look. "One day, very soon kiddo, you're going to have to talk to him. Really talk, because you can't keep living with this hate you have inside of you."

"I'm not…"

"I know what I see Lois," he said sternly. "You think you hide it but you can't fool me. I may not have seen you for a few years, but not a lot has changed about you. And I see the anger that's still there. You _need_ to talk to him. You're having a baby with him. And from what I've seen, he seems like a decent guy, you have to put the past where it belongs before it consumes you both."

Lois swallowed, her appetite slowly dwindling. Okay so he had a point. "What if I can't?"

Fletch smiled sympathetically and covered her hand with his. "You have to. You hold all the cards here, Lois. It's time to forgive him. Just let it all go, and be happy."

"I wish it were that simple." she said, wishing just once that she could tell Fletch the whole truth. Maybe then he wouldn't be so hung up on her forgiving him.

"It could be, if you let it. The problem with you Lois, is you're so stubborn. A trait you get from your father no doubt."

Lois smiled, Fletch really didn't like the General. But she couldn't really blame him for that. After the accident that had almost killed him, and then left him badly wounded, Fletch had been given an honourable discharge, but even now, years later, he still walked with a severe limp.

But Fletch was career military, and leaving the army had been difficult for him. Luckily, he'd had Ashley to help make the transition a little easier. "You're just saying that because he gave you a hard time."

Fletch shook his head, refusing to be put off. "I mean it kiddo, and if you weren't so pigheaded, you'd see that I'm right."

Lois pushed her food around her plate, closing her eyes for a second. He may have been right, but that didn't make it any easier. "I'll think about it. So long as you think about going home, I'm serious Fletch, don't take this the wrong way because I really appreciate what you've done for me. I can never repay you, but it's time for you to get back to your own life."

"I'll think about it." he said, throwing her words back at her. "But take it from me, if you leave this too long, soon it will be irreparable and then what will you have?"

Lois sat up straight, squaring her shoulders. "I said I'll think about it Fletch, now leave it alone. Please."

Fletch sighed and returned to his food. "I guess that's the best I'll get for now. Now come on, eat up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening, Lois awoke with a start. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings, but then she remembered that she'd fallen asleep in the chair next to Chloe's bed. And now she had a serious kink in her neck. She massaged her tummy as she walked around the room, feeling the baby kicking more than usual tonight and Fletch's words kept coming back to haunt her. She was going to have to kill him, there was no other answer.

But then she sighed, realising that he was right. She'd been back for two weeks, and not once in all that time had she talked to Clark about anything other than what was going on with their son. _Their son_. That was weird. They were having this baby, together. And though she couldn't be happier, she was also very wary too.

"What am I gonna do Chlo? I don't want to be, but I'm still so angry at him." She grasped her cousin's hand, squeezing lightly. "I wish I knew if you could hear me or not. You have to wake up soon Chlo, this little one needs his aunt."

Lois closed her eyes, listening to the beep of Chloe's heart monitor. "I need you to wake up. I need you to tell me why it was okay to keep Clark's safety a secret from me. Of all people Chloe, you knew I would be able to handle it. That's why I can't understand, we're family, shouldn't that have counted for something?"

As if in response to her question, Chloe's monitor started beeping faster, and faster, until Lois couldn't decipher one beep from another. In a blind panic, she watched as the door burst open and a team of nurses rushed in with a cart. They quickly got to work, one of them ushering Lois to the doorway.

"That's my cousin!" she yelled, fear clogging up her throat. "Chloe! Don't you dare, Chloe!"

She watched as the nurses pulled down Chloe's gown and started shocking her heart. __

Oh God, no! Please don't do this to me Chloe! Please! 

She could barely stand up straight, her heart literally in her throat.

"Clark." she whispered, not even realising she'd spoken until he appeared at her side two seconds later.

"What is it?" he asked urgently, peering into the room. "Chloe?"

"Clark, she's…" Lois couldn't even finish her sentence. Instead, she let Clark pull her to him, cradling her against his chest.

"She'll be okay Lois, she's gonna be fine." But his voice sounded as bad as she felt right now. He wasn't sure of anything, and that scared her.

Lois nodded against his chest, unable to speak. And then, out of nowhere, the steady slow beep returned and the nurses slowed in their movements.

"She's stable now, but she's not out of the woods just yet." Lois tried to focus on the nurse in front of her, but her eyes were glued to the lifeless form lying in that bed.

"What happened?" she heard Clark ask, he was still clinging onto her tightly and she was grateful for his support.

"It's not uncommon for this to happen, she's been in a coma for under three weeks now, the longer she stays down, the harder it's going to be to come back. But we'll run some tests to find out exactly what happened and how we can treat it." The nurse put her hand on Lois' arm. "We're doing everything we can for her right now, why don't you go home and get some rest?"

Lois shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving her."

The nurse nodded and smiled sympathetically. "There really is nothing you can do for her right now. And Mr Queen will be here soon. You look like you need some sleep Miss Lane and you have to look after yourself, if not for you, then for your baby."

The nurse looked to Clark for help and he loosened his grip on Lois enough to look down at her. "She's right Lois, come on, I'll take you home."

"What if…?" Lois couldn't finish the thought. "I need to be here, in case…"

"Lois, I can have you here in two seconds, you _need_ to rest." Clark whispered in her ear. Her head was pounding and her heart was aching, and eventually she nodded, letting Clark lead the way.

"We'll call as soon as we know anything." the nurse said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clark stood in his loft, looking out of the window at the night sky. His head was all over the place, he didn't know whether he was coming or going. What happened earlier had shaken him up badly, they'd almost lost Chloe and Lois had still been shaking when he'd dropped her off at her apartment.

He'd wanted so badly to stay and hold her, but she'd politely declined and said she was going to turn in. But seeing Fletch there with her, it left a hollow feeling in his chest. He was missing everything, and Fletch was there to pick up all the pieces. But really, what did he expect? Fletch had been the only person Lois could turn to when things went wrong, so why should now be any different?

He let out a quiet sigh, tomorrow he would be going back to work at the Daily Planet, and he would be partnered with Lois. Perry had told him earlier and Clark could only imagine the anger Lois had vented when she'd been informed. He'd tried to get Perry to change his mind, knowing full well that Lois wouldn't want to work so closely with him, but Perry wasn't going to budge an inch.

So Clark was left wondering how he was going to approach that too. She'd been back two weeks and nothing much had changed. She was polite enough, always letting him feel when their son kicked, telling him every detail about her pregnancy to make him feel more involved. But that was the problem, it was just that. Nothing else. She wasn't any closer to opening up to him, or at least letting him explain what had been on his mind for the last six months.

He turned at the sound of footsteps coming his way, he'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard anyone approaching.

"Lois." he said, quietly. What on earth was she doing here? She stood at the top of the steps, wringing her hands together and looking like she wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"Are you okay?" he asked, when she stayed silent.

She nodded, but her face betrayed her emotions. She was still shook up. He took a few steps towards her, but stopped a few feet away.

"I uh, I wanted to…" she paused, unsure of what to say.

"Wanted to what, Lois?" he pushed gently.

Her eyes caught his and held them, and he saw the anguish there.

"I was talking to Fletch and um…" Another pause. Clark felt a light flutter in his chest, what exactly was she here for?

"Lois?"

She shook her head and snorted, but it seemed to be directed at herself, or her lack of ability to speak clearly. "I think it's time we had a talk."

"Okay…" Clark said warily.

"Clark," she said, capturing his full attention. "I think it's time we had _the_ talk." 


	34. Chapter 33

_**Chapter Thirty Three**_

Clark honestly didn't think the silence could get any louder, but as he and Lois stood staring at each other, neither one knowing where to start, he found he was wrong. It became almost deafening. He shifted his weight onto one foot and shoved his hands in his pockets, trying not to let his face show her just how nervous he was.

"I called for you, didn't I?" she asked, and it took him a moment to understand what she meant. Oh right, the hospital. He nodded. "I don't remember doing that. But you were there, right by my side in a flash. Why?" Her eyes narrowed, waiting for his reply.

"You sounded so panicked, I was worried, and…well, I was listening."

"I see, do you eavesdrop on me often?"

"What? No! I…look I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that's all. I don't listen Lois, I wouldn't invade your privacy like that, but I hear your heartbeat, it calms me knowing that you're alright, that our baby is alright. I always hear you."

She snorted out loud, but her eyes flickered with something, he wasn't sure what it was but he'd seen it before, back at the hospital. When she'd let him hold her.

"Well that isn't really creepy at all."

Clark stared at her for a few silent moments. He felt strangled by helplessness. How could he ever make things right between them? She hated him, and she had every right to.

"So come on, spill." she said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Where would you like to start?" he asked, his voice rough.

She took a deep breath and repeated his action, shoving her hands into her pockets. There was but a few feet between them right now, but it might as well have been an ocean, Clark thought. He couldn't reach her.

"Start at the beginning." she said slowly, watching him intensely.

He felt like a deer trapped in the headlights, sensing danger but unable to move. He had to tread very carefully here, one wrong word and she would be gone again. He swallowed nervously. "Okay well, do you want to sit down for this?"

"Just tell me Clark." she said impatiently.

"It might take a while. Please, sit." She did as he asked, but not without a little grunt at him. As she shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position, he smiled. "How is he today?"

It was the only time her expression softened towards him. "Oh besides keeping me awake, he's fine. He seems to like playing soccer with my bladder."

"Mom and dad were asking about you, and the baby."

"Well you can tell them we're doing just fine and I'll visit them soon." she replied, a tight smile on her face.

He knew what she was thinking, she didn't come here to discuss his parents. She wanted answers, answers that he owed her. And that he fully intended to give her.

Once she was comfortable, he started pacing, trying to find the best place to start. He'd memorised what he would say if he ever got the chance, but now that it was here, he was stumped.

Lois, however, grew even more impatient and started for him. "I just want to know one thing…why?"

"Lois, before we start, I need you to know something, I never, _ever_ wanted to hurt you."

Lois shook her head slightly. "But you did Clark. More than you can ever possibly know."

"I know, and every day I have to live with that."

"You never trusted me with your secret," she said glumly.

"It wasn't about trust. Of course I trusted you Lois. You were always the one person I could trust the most." He sighed and sat down in front of her. She held her gaze on him, but it was an icy one. "I guess I just wanted to be sure that you wanted me, for _me_. Not for the Blur, or anything else, just me."

She frowned at that. "Did I ever do anything to make you think that I wouldn't?"

He shook his head. "No, after our first night together, in the morning, when you looked at me, I knew. I just knew that you loved me, I could see it in your eyes. All my life I've had to live with this secret Lois. And when people found out the truth about me, they changed. They all looked at me a little differently, I couldn't bear for that to happen with you."

"So keeping me in the dark was so much better?"

"Of course not. I hated lying to you, hated every minute of it. And when I finally did plan to tell you, things happened…" he said, not wanting to bring up the bomb just yet. He wasn't ready for the hatred he would see in her eyes once it was mentioned.

"So every time you called me as the Blur, what was that about? Trying to see how I felt about you?" she asked, and he could hear the accusation in her tone.

"No," he sighed and tried to align his thoughts. The truth was, he had no real answer for calling her as the Blur. "I honestly don't know why. At first it was because you were going out there and putting yourself into situations that were dangerous just to find me, so I wanted to make sure you were safe. But then it became about so much more than that. I got to see a different side of you."

"One that you didn't see whilst dating me?"

He frowned. "In a way, yes. Every day I listened to you talking about the Blur, how loyal you were to him…_me_, and it only made me fall deeper for you. Talking to you as the Blur just felt…right, somehow." He waited for her to get angrier, but she just sat there, seeming to accept what he'd said.

She looked away, smoothing her hands over her tummy and he could tell from the slight wince on her face that the baby was kicking her again.

"Are you sure you want to do this now Lois? Shouldn't you be…"

She threw him a glare. "If you say resting, I'm going to hit you."

"Sorry."

She shot him a guilty look, and sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be snappy with you. But you have to understand something too. This is so hard for me right now. I don't know how to be around you anymore. I don't know how to feel. I tried so hard to put you out of my mind when I was gone, I stayed with my dad for a while, and even though I never told him what happened, he knew that it was something bad. But when I found out I was pregnant, I just couldn't handle it, and I ran. And went to the only person I knew would take me in without asking a lot of questions."

"Fletch." Clark nodded, guilt smothering him. It still bugged him that Fletch had been the one to be there for her, throughout her first trimester, into her second. Helping her, supporting her. But he was also grateful that she had someone like that too. So many conflicting emotions ran through him, it was hard to pinpoint one.

"Fletch was like a rock to me, like a big brother, you know?"

"Is that why he's still staying with you?"

Lois narrowed her eyes. "He's staying because he wants to make sure I'm okay. I told him he's being overprotective, and he should go back, Ashley's gotta be pretty sick with missing him right now."

"He has a girlfriend?" Clark asked, his hopes rising. He hadn't really thought Fletch was a threat to him, but now he'd heard that, it made him happier.

"No, Ashley is his boyfriend."

"Boyfriend." Clark repeated, dumbly.

Lois shrugged, and it was the first time she came close to smiling. "He's gay, Clark. He and Ashley have been together since before his accident two years ago. He was hurt pretty badly when the army vehicle he was in took a roll and he was discharged from the army. He was depressed for a while after that, Ashley was what got him through it."

"Oh, I see. Well I'm glad he was okay." Clark replied, he'd been wondering why Fletch always seemed to walk with a limp. Now he had his answer.

"Fletch was part of the reason I came here. He made me realise that I had to confront this, or be buried by it." She drew in a large breath, as if what she was about to say would be painful. "For a while, I think…I hated you." And he was right, he thought, his breath leaving him in a rush.

"I don't blame you." he replied, his throat feeling constricted.

"But I realised something. I was never angry at you for keeping your identity a secret from me."

"You weren't?"

She shook her head. "No, after some heavy duty thinking, I realised why you had to keep it from me. The part I couldn't accept, understand or forgive, was you letting me think you'd been killed."

And there it was, out there. There was no going back now, he had to face this head on. "Lois, I'm…"

She held up a hand. "Don't. I need you to understand Clark, just how painful that was. I was going home with Chloe, expecting some big news that you said you had to tell me, and then I saw your car." She broke off for a moment, holding a hand to her chest and grimacing as if it hurt to even talk about it. Clark found himself gripping the trunk underneath him with so much force that the wood began to groan and splinter.

"People were hurt, all around me, and all I could think about was you. Had you gotten out? Had you been thrown over the bridge? Were you even alive? For five days, you and everyone I loved and trusted, let me believe that you were missing. Possibly dead. Not once did anyone give me the slightest hint that you might be okay. If they had, I might've been able to get through it."

Clark swallowed thickly. "They couldn't. And they were only trying to protect me by protecting you. My parents knew nothing about it, and believe me, I got an earful when I got back. But Chloe and Oliver, they knew something was very wrong and that if anything happened to you, I would be as good as dead anyway."

She closed her eyes. "I thought I'd lost you. You were the love of my life, the only one I've ever really loved actually. And I thought you were dead. What did you think that did to me, Clark? It literally almost killed me. My heart felt like someone had driven a knife through it."

A fresh wave of pain hit him hard as he tried to put himself in her position. He moved to sit next to her on the sofa, almost reaching for her hand but hesitating at the last minute. "I'm so sorry Lois,"

"I don't want an apology, I just need to know why." she replied, softly.

"I wanted you safe, I needed you to be safe, that was all that mattered to me. Romano was out to expose me, and anyone who knew me, and he would have if I'd come back sooner. I couldn't take the chance that he wouldn't have someone watching you all, waiting to see if I reappeared. I had to stay away until I figured out how to come back without him suspecting."

Lois frowned in thought. "So how did you think that coming back would make him think…?"

"I hadn't actually thought of much of a plan, except to lay low and find out whatever I could about Romano, but when I saw you, what my absence was doing to you, I had to come back, I couldn't stay away any longer. Oliver sent his doctor over, remember Dr Hamilton?" She nodded but stayed silent. "Romano knew about my abilities Lois, everything he needed to know was in your article."

She looked as if he'd just slapped her. "You're saying it was my fault he suspected you?"

"No!" he said, rushing to reassure her that was not what he thought. "No, what I meant was, he had the details, he knew that I couldn't be hurt by that bomb. So coming back injured was what convinced him. That and watching me for the past few months."

"So how did you come back injured?"

He looked away, unwilling to share that part with her. Which she obviously knew because she started to get up.

"Where are you going?" he asked, alarmed.

"It took a lot for me to even come here tonight, Clark." She turned around and glared. "If you're not going to tell me everything, then I don't even know why I bothered."

He stood up and crossed over to her, grabbing her shoulders to keep her still. They were making progress here, he didn't want her to leave just yet. "I was carrying a chunk of kryptonite on me, that's how I appeared injured."

She tilted her head, trying to understand. "Doesn't kryptonite hurt you?"

Slowly, he nodded. "Yes, if I'm around it too long, it can eventually kill me."

"Why would you do something like that to yourself?" she whispered harshly.

"Because it was the only way to convince Romano that I wasn't the Blur. It was only a tiny pebble, enough to keep me looking injured but not enough to really hurt me. Romano knew I had powers, that I couldn't be hurt, so appearing hurt and getting Emil to report that the injuries I had were consistent with my story, he bought it."

"So he doesn't think the Blur is you now?"

"No, he was reluctant to believe it, but after a couple of months, he moved on to finding out who it was again."

"Well I guess that's something at least."

As the silence fell upon them once more, Clark let go of Lois' arms and she sat back down. He sat next to her, feeling the storm pass, but would it be the last one?

"What I can't understand, is why you called me as the Blur, when you were missing. You even promised to help look for him…_you_."

Clark thought back to that night, to seeing her walk into potential danger because of him, because she was so…hurt. He'd been able to feel the pain she was suffering all the way from the rooftop he was watching her from. "I needed to make sure that you were okay. I know I shouldn't have done it, and it felt wrong at the time, but I can't apologise for that one Lois. I had to talk to you, I hated myself so much at that point, but I just had to…"

"You were watching me." she said, a statement rather than a question.

"Yes,"

Her face twisted. "Was it fun to see me like that? Suffering, hurting."

Clark felt his frustration reach a whole new level. "If you really think that of me Lois, you don't know me at all. What I did was wrong, I get that, and I am trying to explain here, but I can't do that if you keep making comments like that. Especially when you know how ridiculous they are. How could you think I thought any of that was 'fun' for me?"

Lois stayed silent, watching him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry. It was uncalled for."

Clark let his temper settle down and linked his hands together in his lap. "I know that I hurt you, but you have to know that I never wanted that, even you, Lois, would know that I only ever wanted to protect you."

"I remember, seeing you so hurt, wanting to take care of you." She shook her head in disgust. "And all that time, you weren't really injured."

"I was going to tell you everything that night Lois, I wanted you to know everything, after seeing what I had done to you, I just couldn't hold back any longer. But then you and Chloe were kidnapped and once again, I never had a chance to tell you anything. But all this was my fault Lois, not theirs, so I don't blame you for hating me."

With his head lowered, Lois couldn't see into his eyes, but the pain in his voice struck something inside her. Gently, she put a shaky hand over his. "I don't hate you Clark."

He looked at her hand, then slowly, as if afraid, he placed his other one over hers. "You should. I do."

"Look at me Clark," she said softly, he still kept his head down. "Look at me!"

When he did, her breath caught in her throat, there were tears in his eyes and he looked so…sad, so lost. He had the expression of a man who had lost the most important thing in his life. It hit her hard, harder than she would've liked. But there was no ignoring it.

"Lois, I didn't want you to get hurt," he said in a raspy voice. "I couldn't…I wouldn't let something happen to you because of who I am. You were the reason I believed that my life could be different, that I could be loved. I wish I could make you see how much you mean to me. That I never did any of this to hurt or humiliate you."

"I know that."

He slowly pulled his hands away from hers, folding them in his lap again. "Chloe got hurt, and I wasn't there to protect her. After you left, I started my training because I couldn't be around them. Oliver, Chloe, even my parents to a degree, they all reminded me of you and that hurt too much. _I_ lost you because of my actions, and I made them suffer for it. Oliver and Chloe broke up, she couldn't handle the guilt. You shouldn't blame her Lois, she wanted to tell you, I told her not to."

Lois bristled a little at that, but ultimately, she knew that Chloe would've done what Clark asked, to protect her. "I don't."

He dropped his head into his hands. "She's in a coma, fighting for her life because I didn't get there in time to save her. Romano got to her."

"It wasn't your fault Clark, she should never have gone after him alone." Lois said, suddenly, inexplicably wanting to ease his pain. It was almost laughable that, after everything she'd been through, she felt that way. But there was a deeply embedded need to protect him.

"That's not really the point, is it? All I do is hurt people, from the moment I arrived on this planet, all I've done is cause the ones I love to suffer needlessly." There was so much self-hatred in his tone, so much that she couldn't bear to hear from him.

"Clark…" He kept his head turned away, so hesitantly, she put her hand on his cheek and forced him to look at her. Before she could move it away, he pressed his hand over hers, holding it there, and he closed his eyes.

"It's not your fault." she whispered, staring into his eyes when he opened them a minute later. Eyes that told her so much more than words could in that moment. She had spent the last six months suffering because of his lie, but he was suffering right now.

"She could die, Lois…" he whispered back.

"No, she won't. She's tough, like me, she'll get through it. But you have to stop beating yourself up about this."

His head moved closer to hers, and she held still, closing her eyes as his forehead pressed against hers. She couldn't…wouldn't allow herself to feel how good it was, how much she had missed it. Missed him.

"I know that I destroyed your love for me, but is there any chance…any chance at all, that you could just…forgive me?"

Lois fell silent, unsure how to answer that. She wanted to, she really did. But could she? Could she take the last six months and forget they ever happened? She knew deep down, that Clark had only done what was necessary, to protect those he loved, but could she forgive him?

Bleakness entered his eyes, his face paling beneath her hand that was still on his cheek. His expression was sombre, as though he were enduring the worst kind of hell. To her surprise, she felt the prickle of tears, and his face swam in her vision.

Clark, seeing this, grew alarmed. "I don't expect an answer now, I just…wanted to know if there was ever a chance."

This was it, she thought. The moment where she had to make this decision, because it wasn't just about her anymore. They now had a son to think about. She would not let him be born into a world of hatred. There was already enough of that out there, he didn't need it from his own parents. So with that in mind, she took a deep breath and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "I forgive you Clark."

For a moment it looked as if he hadn't quite heard her right, but then an apprehensive smile tilted his lips upward and before she knew it, he moved his head forward and caught her mouth with his. She froze, unable to respond, but after what felt like a lifetime of yearning for him hit her, she slowly started kissing him back.

His hands snaked around her back, and she could feel them shaking as her own did when she wrapped them around the back of his neck. He probed her lips with his tongue, seeking entrance to her mouth, and that was when the alarms bells started to go off.

She couldn't do this. It wasn't right. She might be able to forgive him, but that was a long way away from trusting him with her heart again. Even though she knew, deep down, that he would do everything in his power to never hurt her again.

She reared back, ignoring his shocked expression as she pressed shaky fingers to her lips. Then without another word, she got up and headed for the stairs. She heard him calling her, but couldn't turn back now for fear that she would want to kiss him again. And where that might lead.

As he stood there, listening to the sounds of the gravel crunching underneath her tyres as she drove away, Clark mentally slapped himself. He shouldn't have kissed her, things had been going so well. Maybe too well. He wasn't sure what had happened, but the minute she said that she forgave him, he hadn't been able to stop himself.

His hands were still trembling, the taste of her lips still on his. She'd responded to his kiss, drawing him in deeper, and that confused him. Did it mean…? Could he hope that it meant she wasn't over him? That maybe, deep down, maybe she still loved him?

He smiled as he closed his eyes, determination filling him. "I'm going find a way Lois." he murmured to himself.

"One day soon, I will find a way back to your heart."


	35. Chapter 34

_**Chapter Thirty Four**_

"Here you go," Clark said, handing Lois a paper bag and plastic cup.

"What's this?" She frowned at the items like they were a snake about to bite her.

"Tea and a maple donut." he replied, with that same expression she kept seeing on him lately. A soft, caring expression. "I thought you might be hungry."

Ever since the kiss in his barn two weeks ago, it had been both easier and harder to work side by side with him. He looked after her, made sure she and baby got everything they needed, yet he kept a respectful distance. He never pushed and he never once mentioned that kiss.

She often wondered if he'd forgotten about it, or at least put it out of his mind. She wished she could do the same. But Clark was apparently honouring her wishes and she was grateful for that. And also a little relieved too, because when push came to shove, she could no longer be sure that she could hold out if he did want more.

"Uh, thanks."

He smiled, and something inside her chest twinged so she took a sip of her tea to distract herself.

"I can't believe Perry sent us out here." Lois grumbled, walking around the crowd. "I mean come on, who holds two political rallies in two weeks?"

"A man who's determined to win." Clark suggested, falling into step alongside of her.

She glared at Romano, who was speaking animatedly to the crowd. But his eyes were on her, which was a little unnerving. He was smiling directly at her.

"Ugh! I want to put this creep down for good." she growled, barely resisting an urge to flip him the finger.

"We will Lois." Clark said, and she didn't miss the way he'd emphasised the 'we' in his statement.

"But since the witness Chloe found is in witness protection, and we have no way of finding her, there's not really a lot we can do. The guy who attacked you and shot the Mayor, might possibly be the driver of the car that hit Chloe."

"And he's missing too. I know."

"We'll figure this out Lois," he said quietly.

She rounded on him. "How? How are we supposed to make Romano pay for something we can't prove he did? How can we prove he went after Chloe, had us both kidnapped? It's not as if I can get him arrested for blowing up your car without directing attention at you. And that's the last thing we need right now."

"Lois…"

She dragged her hand through her hair, frustration taking over. "I just can't believe that after everything he's done, he's still walking around, still the DA and now going for Mayor. And I wouldn't be surprised if he wins too. These people are just so eager to vote him in, and they have no idea what his real agenda is."

His palm clasped her shoulder, fingers pressing lightly. "Lo, you have to calm down."

She froze, unsure of how to react. Hearing that nickname, that _endearment_, felt strange. Too close. Closer than she should allow herself to get. She drew in a deep breath and moved away from his hand. "We should go, there's nothing for us here."

He nodded, and looked back at Romano. If he was disappointed that she'd pulled away, he didn't show it. But his shoulders were slumped, as if in defeat.

"I guess. We have to get to the hospital for your check up anyway. Oliver's flying Emil in."

_Oliver_. Lois tensed, thinking about him. He was still angry with her, not that she could blame him. But he wasn't exactly innocent in all this either. For two weeks she'd barely seen him. Not since their little altercation in Chloe's room.

And although she hadn't actively sought him out, he hadn't come to her either. So they were still at a stalemate of sorts. She hated it, seeing what Chloe's condition was doing to him and not being able to talk to him about it. She missed her friend, but had no idea how to even go about fixing it.

"Okay, come on. I'll tell Perry we got what we need and then I'm taking you to the doctor." Clark said, taking out his cell phone.

~~~~~~~~~

"Miss Lane, how are you feeling?" Emil Hamilton asked as he entered the room at Metropolis General Hospital.

She was sitting up on the examination table, wearing a gown, with Clark standing to the side of her. He looked nervous, though she couldn't imagine why. Jor-El had told them that everything was okay with the baby, that she could seek medical attention here and that possibly, she would be able to give birth naturally in a hospital. Which was a huge relief to her. She'd only been to the Fortress twice, but she couldn't imagine being in there when she had her baby.

"Not bad, thanks,"

Emil flipped through her chart and then looked up at her. "Any problems I should be aware of? Any pain?"

"No, not really. I mean he's getting stronger so the kicking hurts quite a bit now, but that's normal right?"

"His movements will get stronger as he grows, but you shouldn't be in any pain, just slightly uncomfortable." he replied, with a slight frown. "Okay, let's take a look and see what's going on in there."

Lois laid down and pulled her gown up and the blanket down to expose her swollen belly.

"You're six and a half months along, correct?"

Lois nodded. "Almost seven actually."

"Hmm." Emil seemed to be lost in his own little world as he measured Lois' stomach.  
Clark moved a little closer, and Lois could feel the tension coming off him in waves.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Emil didn't answer, he just went about setting up the sonogram. Lois let out a little gasp as the cold gel touched her stomach and Clark stepped right up next to her.

"Okay, let's see what the little fellow is…" Emil trailed off, scanning the screen intently.

"Emil?" Clark said, concern now evident in his tone. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Just give me a minute." Emil said, concentrating.

"Clark." Lois whispered, frightened, and then she felt him take her hand, squeezing hard. He was here, she wasn't alone. Looking up at him, she knew from the look in his eyes that she would never be alone again. He wouldn't leave her to deal with this by herself.

Emil glanced at Lois then at Clark. "Uh no, nothing's wrong exactly. It's just…well the size of the baby doesn't exactly measure up to how far Lois is in her pregnancy."

"What?" Lois said, her mouth falling open. "Well what the hell does that mean?"

Emil shook his head. "I don't know. But from the looks of the baby, I would say you are much further along."

"Well is he okay?" Clark asked, urgently.

"He looks fine, perfectly healthy. Just…big."

Both Clark and Lois let out a sigh of relief. Then Lois frowned. "How big is he, exactly?"

She'd known that her bump was a little larger than most women's at that point in her pregnancy but she hadn't thought much of it. She'd had a healthy appetite, not to mention all the food that Fletch kept making her eat. She just thought it was weight related.

"I would say, looking at the size of him, and of you, that you are around eight months pregnant. Did your previous doctor work your due date out correctly?"

"Yes, and there's no way that he could be wrong."

Emil nodded and returned his attention to the screen. Then he shook his head, baffled. "I suppose this could have something to do with his genetic make-up."

"Meaning?" Clark asked, and Lois felt him flinch.

"Well correct me if I'm wrong Clark but you're not exactly…"

"Normal?" Clark said, darkly.

"For lack of a better word, yes." Emil replied, his tone apologetic but he stayed his course.

"So what are you saying, that our baby isn't normal?"

"Clark…" Lois said gently, because she could feel him getting angry and this wasn't the time for it.

Emil raised his hand. "It's okay Lois. No, that's not what I'm saying at all. The issue here isn't whether he's normal. But it's possible that the baby is growing at an accelerated rate."

Lois stared at the monitor, at the little life growing inside her. He looked tiny to her. Then something occurred to her. "Clark, Jor-El said this could happen. Remember?"

Clark slowly nodded and drew in a deep breath, calming a little, but he never once let go of her hand.

Emil cleared his throat. "Well he is perfectly healthy as I said before, look…" He pointed to the screen and Clark's head moved closer to Lois' as they both strained to see. "There's his leg, and an arm, and his head…quite a big boy. I mean, he would be normal size, for someone who is further along."

Lois heard Clark gasp and found her attention directed towards him and his reaction. He looked so…enthralled. His mouth tilted up at the corners, his eyes were wide with wonder. He reached out and touched the screen, right where the baby's head was.

"That's my son." he whispered.

Lois smiled, feeling her eyes sting a little. She'd almost forgotten. This was the first time that Clark was seeing their baby, with his own eyes and not just from a picture. It was a beautiful moment.

"That's _our_ baby." he said, his own eyes misty as he turned his head to face Lois.

Their mouths were just inches apart, their eyes locked. As his head moved lower, his lips covering hers in a tender, heart warming kiss, she didn't stop him. And she covered his hand with hers when he cupped her cheek.

"Our little boy," Clark murmured.

"Not so little, apparently." Lois chuckled. Then her face fell.

"What is it Lo?" There it was again, that name. She wished he wouldn't call her that, but couldn't bring herself to ask him at this moment.

"That means…I don't have a lot of time left. He'll be here sooner than we thought."

They both looked to Emil who nodded. "I'm afraid so, but I can put in your report that your previous doctor miscalculated the due date and we shouldn't have a problem."

Lois nodded, at least that part was sorted. But what about everything else? She thought she had more time, she wasn't nearly ready.

"Okay Lois, you can get dressed now. And please," Emil paused as he stood up, looking at each of them seriously. "Don't be offended by anything I said. Your son is perfectly normal, and healthy. There's nothing wrong. So don't worry okay?"

Lois smiled gratefully as Clark helped her down from the table. "Thank you Dr Hamilton."

"Please, call me Emil. I've already spoken to Oliver, he's arranged a transfer for me to this hospital, so I'll be available when you go into labour."

"Well that's a relief."

"If you need anything for the pain, don't hesitate to let me know. I'll schedule another appointment for you in two weeks time and we'll see how the baby's progressing." Emil shook their hands and left them alone together.

"Well, I'll uh…wait outside." Clark said, heading for the door.

"Thank you Clark." she said quietly, breaking the silence of the room.

Clark paused in the open doorway. "What for?"

"For being here today. With me."

"Where else would I be?" He walked towards her slowly, and though she couldn't help it, she drew her clothes up to form a barrier between them. Something that didn't go unmissed by Clark. But the clothes weren't enough, she couldn't stop her body reacting to his closeness. She breathed in his scent, a scent that was all Clark Kent, that she had missed a lot over the past several months.

"Lois, I'll always be here for you."

"I know." she replied, but in his eyes she saw the question he wanted so badly to ask. _But will you let me?_

"I'm uh…gonna go see Chloe before we have to go back to work. Are you coming?"

For minute he just stood there, watching her, making her feel nervous. But then he smiled, and backed off, giving her some breathing room.

"Yeah I'll…" His smile fell and his head tilted to the side, as if he was listening to something. "Someone's in trouble, I gotta go. I'll meet you back at the Planet okay?"

"Okay…" She offered him a smile as he went to the door. "And Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

~~~~~~~~~

Lois leaned her head back against her chair, feeling the exhaustion set in again. It was beginning to become a regular thing now, getting tired in the afternoon. Clark had suggested on many occasions that she should go and take a nap but she always refused.

She would have enough time to rest once she finished working. Which now, wouldn't be too long. Sighing, she rubbed a hand over her belly, smiling when the baby moved. Then a searing pain ripped through her leg, making her stand almost immediately.

"Aagh! Damn it!" she yelled.

Two seconds later, the door burst open and Clark charged in. He was by her side in a second.

"What is it? What's wrong?" His eyes were wild, pure panic, as he held her up.

"Nothing, I'm okay. Leg cramp, that's all. Aagh!"

"Sit down." He gently pushed her back into the chair and lifted her leg.

Lois watched, mesmerised as his large hands started massaging her calf muscle, and the cramp slowly started easing away. She tried hard to fight the tingle working its way up her leg, she didn't want to react this way to him. She couldn't let herself go there again, she just couldn't. But it felt so good, his hands were amazing, and her eyes were almost closing when he stopped.

"Better?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Uh…yeah, thank you."

"No problem." He let her leg down slowly, keeping his eyes on her. She was so frustrated right now. Wasn't this affecting him as much as it was her? Was it all one sided? Maybe he'd moved on. She doubted it, but she _had_ left him for over five months, and he _had_ accepted that they weren't getting back together. Maybe he really had moved on. What bothered her most, was that the idea itself, bothered _her_. And it shouldn't.

"You always listen?" she asked and knew when his eyes widened that he had taken the question the wrong way. He thought she was attacking him again.

"No, but there's nothing wrong with keeping an ear out."

"I wasn't saying there was, Clark. I just meant…" she sighed. "Thank you."

He smiled, that same smile she'd fallen in love with in the first place, but before he could say anything, Chloe's heart monitor started beeping faster again.

"No, oh no! Not again!" Lois cried, standing up. "Chloe, don't you do this, you hear me? Don't!"

She gripped her hand tightly, standing over her, and eventually, the beeps started slowing. Lois watched in absolute shock, as Chloe's eyes started fluttering.

"Chloe?" Clark said, standing on the other side of her. Chloe's fingers started moving, gripping Lois' hand.

"Oh Chloe." Lois gasped. Then Chloe's eyes opened, narrowing as she looked around.

"Lois?" she asked, her throat croaky from weeks of not being used. "You're back?"

"Yeah honey, it's me. I'm here. I'm right here." Lois smoothed a hand over Chloe's forehead. "Clark's here too."

"Clark?" Chloe looked to him and he smiled, a tearful smile.

"Hey Chlo, you had us so worried."

"Where's Oliver?"

"Resting, but he'll be here soon. I'll go call him." Clark said, kissing her forehead, then he looked up at Lois. "I'll get a doctor too."

She nodded and looked back down at Chloe, whose eyes were nearly popping out of her head.

"Chloe? What's wrong?" Then she noticed where Chloe's gaze was directed. She pressed a hand to her stomach. "Oh, yeah…"

"Lois?" Chloe's voice was worried, reflected in her eyes. "Exactly how long was I out?"

_To Be Continued..._


	36. Chapter 35

_**Chapter Thirty Five**_

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Clark asked as he slowed his pace a little to keep up with her. She was panting already and they'd only just left the Planet.  
Walking the streets of Metropolis when you were heavily pregnant was not a good idea, she thought.

"No, not really. But it's worth a shot isn't it?"

Clark glanced sideways at her and frowned. "Lois, you should've let me run us there. Or at least take a cab, it would've been easier on you."

"It's only a couple of blocks Clark, I'm not that big that I can't walk that far you know."

"I know, I just…I don't want you to overdo things, that's all. You need to be taking it easy."

She smiled at the gentle tone of his voice, he was so caring and sweet. Damn him, why did he have to be like that? It simply wasn't fair. Not when she was trying so hard to steer clear of all thoughts of him or their kisses.

The memory of the kiss yesterday, how tender and loving it had been, made her tone blunter than she'd intended. "I'm fine, stop worrying so much, I'm not made of glass. Now come on, let's get this done so we can get back to Chloe."

After waking up yesterday, Chloe had understandably been a little upset to find out what had been going on while she'd been in a coma. Lois knew they would have to talk about what had happened all those months ago, but seeing Oliver with her, watching their tearful reunion, she knew that it would have to wait. It wasn't really something she wanted to go into anyway.

But Oliver needed the time alone with her and Lois had needed time to gather her thoughts. It was easy to forgive Chloe when she'd been unconscious, and that hadn't changed. But now that she was awake, Lois had so many things she wanted to ask her, that tiny lingering sense of betrayal was still there.

As they covered the last block and arrived at their destination, Lois paused at the bottom of the steps.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked, hovering like she was about to fall at any minute. She hated it when he hovered, mostly because a part of her liked it so much.

"I just need a minute to catch my breath. Your son isn't helping much, he's pressing against my ribs." She noted the twinkle in Clark's eyes at the words 'your son', and it made her smile.

He was still adjusting, she realised, to the notion of fatherhood. And she supposed that he would always find it a little overwhelming, because he had never known if he would ever be able to have this. It made her heart ache to think of him feeling alone like that. _Stop it Lois, this line of thinking will not lead to anything good._ She couldn't go there, not again.

"He's very active this morning." she said, rubbing her swollen belly. It felt like she had grown two dress sizes overnight. She wasn't this big yesterday. "And he's growing fast, too."

"I'm sorry he's giving you so much trouble." Clark replied with a grin.

"Well he is your son, so I guess trouble is his middle name."

Clark snorted. "You're forgetting who his mother is."

She rolled her eyes at him. "How could I forget when the constant kicking keeps reminding me?"

Clark's expression sobered. "Is it painful?"

"A little." She knew lying wouldn't do any good here, Clark had always been good at reading her face. "But it's nothing I can't handle."

He reached out and covered her hand that was leaning on the railing of the steps. "You don't have to handle it alone, Lois. I'm here."

She closed her eyes, afraid to look into his. He was making this so hard on her. "Thanks. Okay, let's get this over with. I need to go and see my cousin."

Clark watched her start up the steps, feeling conflicted. She was still pulling away from him. Physically, she was right there, sharing everything work and baby related with him. But emotionally, she was still so distant.

She hadn't mentioned their kiss at the hospital yesterday and he'd decided not to broach the subject. He wasn't sure why he'd done it, maybe because he'd been so lost in the moment and sharing it with her had been…perfect. But she had to have felt something, surely. He knew it would take time for her to trust him again, and he was willing to wait.

Lately he'd caught her stealing tiny glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking. Her eyes would take in every detail about him and last week, when he'd caught her looking, she'd quickly looked away and developed a keen interest in the potted plant on the filing cabinet across the room.

It gave him hope, that maybe she was still feeling something. He had vowed to find a way back to her, and he wasn't going to give up. But for now, her focus was on their son, and on Chloe. That's where his should be too. It was just…he missed her, so much. He missed holding her, touching her, hearing her laugh. It seemed like a lifetime ago since she'd laughed. He missed…everything.

After speaking to the receptionist and being told to sit and wait, Lois sat massaging her tummy and Clark couldn't take his eyes off the action. His baby was in there, a little boy that was half him, half her. What would he look like? What would his personality be like? Would he be like Lois, or like him? So many questions that Clark was excited to learn the answers to.

"Miss Lane, Mr Kent? The Mayor will see you now," A tall burly looking man informed them. Obviously security, Lois thought, standing up to follow him. "But she doesn't have a lot of free time so…"

"We'll try to keep this as brief as possible."

They were shown into a large, delicately decorated room. The room where the Mayor made all her decisions. She was currently sitting behind a large, oak desk, so shiny you could see your reflection it, just ending a call.

As she put the phone down, she smiled up at the two of them politely. "Ah, you're the reporters from the Daily Planet."

"Yes ma'am." Clark replied, ever the gentleman, Lois thought.

Patrice Dawson gestured to the two chairs in front of her desk, and waited for them to sit before she spoke. "So what can I do for you?"

Lois shifted, trying to find a comfortable position, but gave up after every attempt resulted in the same problem. The baby was lying in an awkward position today and no amount of shifting or prodding could make him move. "Uh well, we know that you're due to resign when the election comes up in a couple of weeks and we just wanted to talk to you about it."

Patrice frowned. "I can't see how it's breaking news for the Daily Planet, considering that I announced that months ago."

"No, I know. It's just that…well I have reason to believe that someone very high up was behind the shooting."

That made the Mayor's eyes narrow. "And who might that be?"

Lois could tell by the tone of her voice that all politeness was now gone and she was losing patience. She would have to tread carefully here if she wanted to be heard.

"My cousin was investigating the first attempt, speaking to witnesses and she found one. The woman is now in protective custody because the man she saw matched the description of a man who tried to mug me a few months ago." She paused for a second to gauge the Mayor's response, she seemed to be listening so Lois carried on. "My cousin was injured in a hit and run a few days after talking to this witness. She's been in a coma for over a month."

"I see. Yes that is quite a coincidence. Is she alright?"

"She woke up yesterday, and other than being a little distressed, she seems fine. But whoever hit her clearly didn't mean for her to survive."

"So who exactly is this man?"

"We don't know, because he posted bail not long after the attack on me and was never arrested for yours. There's only a handful of people who have the leverage to pull that off." Lois glanced over at Clark, who was watching the Mayor with intent, but staying silent, letting her take the floor. Well, this had been her idea, after all.

"So who is it that you think is responsible?" Patrice asked, finally.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but I have reason to believe that it's Anthony Romano."

"District Attorney, Anthony Romano?" Patrice's eyes went wide and Lois nodded.

The silence that fell was deafening and Lois waited with baited breath for the bomb to drop. But instead, the Mayor surprised her by nodding and then grimacing.

"I was afraid you were going to say that. I must say that I've had my own suspicions for quite some time now. Although obviously I had no idea of your attack or that of your cousin. So for argument's sake, let's say I believe you. Why would he want to target you or your cousin?"

"Because we were getting too close to the truth." Lois replied, unwilling to share the reason for her mugging. That would only bring the Blur into it and Lois couldn't have that. Despite everything that had happened between her and Clark, she still felt like she owed the Blur her loyalty.

Patrice ran an idle hand through her shoulder length, brown hair. "I don't suppose you know what that truth is?"

"He's running for Mayor of Metropolis in the next election. He already has a loyal following of people who believe his propaganda about the Blur. He obviously wanted to eliminate the competition too." Lois winced at her words. "Sorry,"

"Oh don't be. Like I said, I've had my suspicions for a while. He was always a little _too_ helpful, if you know what I mean. Giving me advice, even going so far as to suggest that I step down before I get really hurt. Of course, at the time I thought he was just being considerate but then I heard he was running and that suggestion took on a whole new meaning. He wants me out of the way."

"But you _are_ resigning." Clark said, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived.

Patrice let out a long sigh. "Yes, although I didn't want to. My husband is insisting on it, he's worried about me."

"I don't blame him, but can I ask, do you really want to quit?"

Both Lois and Patrice stared at him, making him feel a little uncomfortable, like he'd just put his foot in his mouth. But Lois was really onto something here, he wanted to help out as much as he could.

"No Mr Kent, I don't want to 'quit' as you put it. But what choice do I have? I can either resign and stay alive, or stay and possibly get killed."

"But what if we launch an investigation on Romano." Lois offered.

"Based on what evidence? Face it, we have nothing on him. A couple of reporters and my suspicions aren't going to get us very far."

Lois nodded, defeated. "Couldn't you look into why that man was released so quickly? Find out who posted his bail?"

Patrice frowned in thought. "Hmm, yes I could do that. I'm sure that will raise a few questions." The buzzer on her intercom sounded, interrupting her. "I'm sorry to do this but I have to cut this meeting short, I have some things to attend to."

Lois and Clark nodded and stood up. "We understand, thanks for your time."

"Miss Lane?" she called as Lois got to the door.

"Yeah?"

"I will look into this, you have my word. I will let you know what I find. Until then, let's keep our little meeting between us. Give your cousin my regards."

Something occurred to Lois then, and Clark was wary because of the look in her eyes. "Mayor Dawson, may I suggest something that might work a little better?"

Patrice glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "By all means."

"What if you decided to run for Mayor again? That would surely provoke Romano into taking some sort of action since he knows he can't win against you."

"Well that would be a very bad idea considering that, if it is him doing this, that man wants me dead or at least out of the way."

Lois edged closer to the desk again. "But what if we could guarantee your safety? You already have guards with you during the day, but what if at night, the Blur could protect you?" Lois felt Clark's eyes boring into the back of her head and knew she would have to give him an explanation for this later, but right now, she needed the Mayor to say yes.

"The Blur? I hardly think I'm high on his list of priorities."

"That's the thing about the Blur, he doesn't have priorities, no one person is more special than another. He will protect anyone, and I'm sensing that you don't exactly fall in with Romano's beliefs about him?"

The Mayor shook her head. "I don't know Miss Lane. On the one hand I appreciate what the Blur does for this city, he has certainly helped a lot. You only have to look at the crime rate to see that. But it's the fact that we don't know who he is that unnerves me a little. I just wish we had a face to put to the name."

Lois glanced over her shoulder at Clark. "I know what you mean. Maybe its time he stepped into the light." Clark shot her a look that she couldn't decipher, but she couldn't focus on that right now.

"Miss Lane, do you know who he is?"

There was a slight hesitation, during which Clark tensed, but then Lois shook her head. "No, but I know the Blur. He talks to me, I'm sort of like, his confidant in a way. That's why I know he would do anything to help you, Romano needs to be stopped."

Patrice blew out a steady breath and then nodded. "Okay then, if you can get him to help, I'll…I'll run for re-election."

"Thank you, I hate to think what would happen to this city if the DA became Mayor."

"Don't thank me yet Miss Lane, we're a long way off from winning."

Outside her office, Clark looked at Lois and shook his head in question. "What was that all about? 'Maybe he needs to step into the light?' How exactly am I supposed to do that Lois? Romano is suspicious enough as it is."

She looked around and saw that they were alone, no ears were close by. "I didn't mean reveal your identity Clark, I just meant that…maybe there's a way for you to become a public figure instead of hiding in the shadows. It would give the people of this city something they desperately need right now."

"And what would that be?"

"Hope. We all need that Clark. Despite what's happened between us in the past, I'm not naïve enough to think that you did any of it to hurt me. Though you could've gone about it in a different way, I understand what you did. But I still believe in you. In the Blur." She looked down at the floor, and her voice was quiet when she spoke again. "You're still my hero."

Clark tried hard to press the feeling of pride down, but hearing that from the one person he'd needed to hear it from, was like music to his ears. She still believed in him. He thought he'd done irreparable damage to her faith in him. And if he was honest, even though he felt conceited to admit it, he liked hearing her say he was still her hero.

"Anyway, it's something to think about."

Clark frowned as he watched her, noticing that she was a little pale. "Lois, why don't you go home and take a nap, you look exhausted."

Suddenly feeling defensive and unsure why, Lois rounded on him. "Is that your way of telling me I look awful? You try being pregnant, it…"

Clark held his hands up in surrender. "I was only suggesting. You need to start worrying more about yourself."

"When Romano is behind bars where he belongs, I'll relax. Until then, neurotic, tense Lois is all you're getting."

He smiled as they started down the steps outside the hall. "I'll take it. Any Lois is better than no Lois."

He hailed a cab and climbed inside after Lois, wanting badly to hold her hand but deciding against it. He couldn't push, it would only make her back away further.

Lois felt the tension between them as he sat next to her, it was like a thick cloud filling the air around them. She hated that she was still so aware of him, that he could still have this affect on her. But then, her hormones were all over the place, she thought helplessly. Maybe that was why, maybe she couldn't really trust what she was feeling right now.

The taxi pulled up outside the hospital and dropped them off, but just as they were entering the building, Clark stopped.

"Lois, I have to go."

She recognised the look. "Then go." she said gently.

He smiled at her, that smile that always used to make her heart flip in her chest, and then ran off.

Taking a deep breath, she walked inside, knowing what was waiting for her upstairs. It was time to have a talk with her cousin.

_To Be Continued..._


	37. Chapter 36

_**Chapter Thirty Six**_

Lois walked into Chloe's hospital room a little later that morning to discover her cousin sitting up in bed, watching a TV mounted on the wall on the opposite side of the room. She had more colour today and Lois was so relieved to see that her condition hadn't reversed itself. She'd been half afraid of coming here today and finding her back in a coma.

As she walked further inside, Chloe's bright smile washed over her and she quickly turned the TV off. "Lois! You're here."

There was a note of hidden relief in that sentence and Lois wondered if Chloe had been thinking she wouldn't return. She didn't know what to think of that but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. Surely Chloe didn't think she would abandon her now?

_Why not?_ _You did before. _Her inner voice spoke up. _That was so very different_, she argued back.

"I said I would be back didn't I?" she replied, smiling as she carefully lowered herself into the chair next to Chloe's bed. "Where's Oliver?"

"He's getting me some real food, I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks. But don't tell the nurses." she whispered in a conspiratorial tone.

Lois chuckled. "Your secret's safe with me."

Something in Chloe's eyes flickered at that, but she just smiled and said. "So where's Clark?"

"Blur business. He got this really weird look on his face, said he had to go and then just took off."

Silence fell over the room as Chloe's eyes drifted down to Lois' stomach. "So…how are you? How's the baby?"

"He's fine."

"He?" Chloe's eyes went wide before her face broke out into a grin. "I'm gonna have a nephew?" She clapped her hands together excitedly before the smile fell, which had Lois sitting forward abruptly.

"What's wrong?"

"_Am_ I going to be his aunt?" she asked, her tone unsure and it was like a kick to the gut for Lois.

"Oh sweetie, of course you are. Let's face it, with me as a mother, this little guy is going to need all the help he can get."

Chloe shot her a reproachful look. "Don't say that Lois. You're gonna be a great mom."

She shrugged. "Well at least he's got Clark as a father. That man is going to be an amazing dad."

"Yeah I can see that." Chloe shook her head in awe, still staring at the large bump Lois was sporting. "I still can't believe you're pregnant. Clark never knew that it was possible."

"I know, he told me." Lois swallowed thickly, because talking about Clark, not knowing if he was ever going have a real family of his own, was playing havoc with her emotions. She just felt like bawling at the moment and she knew she couldn't. Not here anyway.

Chloe frowned as she reached for Lois' hand. "Lois can I ask you something?"

"Okay."

"Why didn't you call me?" And there it was. Lois wasn't sure she was ready for this conversation, or if Chloe was even strong enough to have it right now.

She swallowed and leaned back in her chair. "I wanted to, but I just couldn't face talking to you right then. But you have to understand something Chlo, when Clark was missing…it was like part of me was missing. Thinking he was dead…it was the worst time of my life. It hurt so much…I know I won't ever forget how that felt. I needed to be away…from all of you, for a little while."

"Five months is more than a little while." Chloe said, hurt evident in her eyes. "Lois, you didn't even tell me you were pregnant."

"Well if it makes you feel any better his father didn't find out until I came back." It was meant to be a flippant remark, but all it achieved was making Lois feel worse.

"Why _did_ you come back?" Chloe asked and Lois was grateful that she hadn't seized the opportunity to question why she'd kept the father of her baby in the dark. Maybe she understood why she'd done it.

"Clark came to find me. Dad gave him the address of where I was staying."

"Where did you go?"

"Colorado. I stayed with Dad on the base for a while but when I found out I was pregnant, I freaked out. I had to get away, far away from everything. So I went to see Fletch."

"Fletch." Chloe frowned trying to place the name. "Oh is he the guy you told me about? The one you grew up with?"

Lois nodded. "Yeah, he took me in and never asked any questions. Then when I came back here, he followed me to make sure I was okay. He only left because I told him I was okay now. But he calls me every day just to make sure." she said with a small smile, surprised that she missed him already and he'd only been gone a week. Though she was pleased that Ashley was glad to have him back where he belonged.

"So Clark found you…?"

"Yeah and let me tell you, it was a shock, him just turning up like that. He told me what had happened to you, he wasn't sure if…" She paused and tried to swallow the lump that had crept up in her throat. "He needed me to come back to see you."

"In case I died." Chloe said it for her, knowing that Lois couldn't.

She nodded slowly. "Why did you do it Chloe?" she asked suddenly, and Chloe knew what she was referring to. "How could you betray me like that?"

She took a moment to collect her thoughts, thinking how best to start. "None of us knew what would happen that day Lois. We were all in shock, and when we saw his car on that bridge, I was just as worried as you were. But then Clark called me, and I told him that I had to tell you. I couldn't keep lying to you, seeing what it was doing to you was killing me. He asked me to wait. I'm not putting all the blame on Clark here, because I'm just as responsible as he is. But please, Lois, just for a second, put yourself in my place. How could I tell you? How could I put you in that kind of danger?"

"I was already in danger Chloe, giving me some piece of mind about the man I loved wouldn't have changed that."

"I know, and I can't take it back. I wish I could but I can't. I know you probably still hate me for it, and I don't blame you, but if nothing else, can't you just at least understand that I thought I was doing the right thing? We all did."

"I understand it Chloe, I do. But you put yourself in _my_ place. Think about it. If this had happened to Oliver and everyone but you knew he was okay, how would you feel?"

Put like that, Chloe had no choice but to face what she had done to her cousin. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest as she thought of how Lois must've felt that night. The night that she had found out the truth, the night all their lives had changed. She hung her head, not knowing what else to say to convince Lois how truly sorry she was. But when Lois squeezed her hand, she looked up to see not anger in her eyes, but love.

"I don't hate you Chloe, I never did. I just felt so betrayed and hurt. Everyone I cared about, lied to me. Clark lied to me and I loved him so much. But through all of that, I missed you all. When Clark came to find me, I told myself it was a very bad idea to come back here, but how could I not come back when you needed me?" She sniffled a little, feeling her eyes moisten.

"I never wanted to lie to you Lo, you're my family, I would do anything to protect you. So would Clark."

"Well that's kinda how we're in this mess isn't it?" she replied, her tone a little more bitter than she'd intended it to be. She tried to soften it. "I didn't and don't need protection from the people I care about Chloe. I need honesty, love, truth."

"Clark was going to tell you the truth, both times he was diverted from doing so. The night he came back, he was going to tell you, I made sure of it too, but then we both got kidnapped by Romano's goons and…well you know the rest."

Lois grimaced, thinking back to that night. Unaware that she was rubbing the hand that she'd broken against his jaw when she'd punched him, Lois sighed. "I hated him Chloe."

"Who Clark?"

"Yeah. For a while, I really hated him for putting me through that."

"And now?"

Lois frowned, not allowing her thoughts to go down that road at the moment. She shook her head. "What happened after I left Chloe? Clark told me some things, but I want to know how you all fell apart so badly. Clark said he barely saw you in months."

"That wasn't his doing, it was mine. I couldn't bear to see him because every time I did, I was reminded of you and what we'd done to you. Not that it really mattered anyway, what little I did see of him wasn't pleasant. He was a mess, Lois. And I'm not saying that to make you feel bad. He wouldn't talk to me, Ollie, his parents. Anyone. He was really a mess. Walking around like a man who'd lost the only thing he'd ever truly cared about. For a couple of weeks after you left, he refused to be the Blur."

Lois gasped, she hadn't known that. "He what?"

"Yeah, he said that the Blur was the reason he'd lost you and he couldn't continue being something he no longer believed in."

Lois shook her head, refusing to believe that Clark could get so bad that he would give up saving people. "But he's been training with Jor-El."

For a second, Chloe's eyes widened. "You've been to the Fortress?"

Lois' eyes flickered dangerously, warning Chloe to tread carefully. "Should I be surprised that I'm the last one to know about that place too?"

"I'm sorry I didn't mean…uh, anyway, yeah it took a major intervention from his mom, dad, me, Oliver and even Jor-El himself to get Clark to snap out of it. I may not have wanted to be around him much, but I knew if he gave up helping people, he would never forgive himself. He was just acting out of grief. He missed you so much. We all did." she added that last part in a quiet voice that Lois barely heard.

This was too much to take in, so she decided to change the subject. "You broke up with Oliver."

Chloe sighed, that familiar pain squeezing her heart again. "Yeah, he couldn't understand it, but I just couldn't…I couldn't go on pretending to be happy with him after what I had done. I felt like I didn't deserve it."

Lois pinched the bridge of her nose, this was all a little overwhelming. She hadn't expected it to go this way. "The Blur wasn't the reason that Clark lost me, Clark was the reason that he lost me. If he hadn't lied to me, I would've been able to handle it, maybe even help. But no, he took that decision on himself and hurt us both in the process."

"I know, and believe me, he knows that too."

Lois stared down at their hands, clasped together. "You shouldn't have broken up with Oliver. He loves you."

"Lois…"

"No, I mean it. The guy has been on the edge since you got hit by that car, he hasn't been sleeping. He misses you Chloe."

Chloe looked at her softly. "And Clark misses you."

"This isn't about me and Clark. Everyone deserves to be happy sweetie, so please, just fix it. Promise me that you'll fix things with Oliver."

Chloe watched Lois intently. Was asking her to fix things a way of not having to look too closely at her relationship with Clark? Was she substituting her own happiness by making sure she and Ollie got theirs? As she nodded her head, Chloe inwardly sighed. This was all still such a mess.

"He still loves you Lois." She took a chance, and was rewarded by Lois' eyes flashing in recognition. She knew it, and Chloe suspected that she still loved him too.

"Don't go there Chlo, it's too soon."

"You're having the man's baby. How much longer do you think you can hold out?" Lois opened her mouth to reply but Chloe stopped her. "No, I mean it Lois. I know what we did, but do you honestly think that you can go on like this? You have to forgive him at some point."

"I did. And then he kissed me and it all just…" she trailed off, aware that she'd said too much.

"He kissed you?" Chloe shook her head in amazement. "Again, how much have I missed?"

Lois closed her eyes and sighed, like she was resigned to having to tell her about it. "We had a little chat in his barn a few weeks ago. A lot of things were said, a lot of things weren't. But I did forgive him, and I still do. But he kissed me, and… I wasn't ready for that. I don't know if I ever will be again."

"Oh Lois, don't shut yourself off to the possibility."

And just like that, she shutters came down in her eyes and Chloe knew there would be no budging her on this particular subject. But Chloe also knew that when it came to Clark Kent, Lois Lane's defences stood no chance. He was probably the only person on the this entire planet who could get through to her. She just hoped that it wouldn't take too long for that to happen.

"What's important is this baby, we need to focus on him right now. Everything else can wait."

Chloe nodded, clearly knowing when to change the subject. Clark Kent was not up for discussion, at least, not right now. "Okay. So what's the news on Romano?"

"Speaking of, what were you thinking? Going after him alone was a bad idea Chloe." she said sternly.

Chloe glanced around the room with a wry smile. "Yeah I got that memo. But I had no choice if I wanted to bring him down…"

"I shouldn't have left you to deal with that on your own. I'm sorry for that Chlo."

"It's not like you didn't have a reason Lois."

She tilted her head and smiled. "True. Okay so how about we're both sorry and leave it at that?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two women locked eyes for a moment, and a small smile crept slowly up their faces. Lois' hand squeezed hers.

"It's so good to have you back Lois. I really missed you." Chloe whispered, feeling the tears threaten.

"I missed you too. I love you Chlo, but please promise me that you won't ever lie to me again."

Chloe put a hand on her heart. "I swear I will never do that to you again. I love you too Lois."

Lois grinned and swiped at a tear falling down her cheek. "So let me fill you in on what's been happening. Clark and I went to see Mayor Dawson this morning…"

It was late afternoon by the time Lois left Chloe's hospital room. She felt better for having had that conversation, but parts of it still bothered her. She couldn't get Chloe's words about Clark out of her head.

He was still in love with her, he missed her. She pressed her lips together, forcing the thoughts out of her head as the object of them appeared outside the hospital's main entrance. He smiled as she got near and then fell into step next to her. She tried not to notice how good he smelled, how the wind kept blowing a lock of his hair in a curl over his forehead.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, and she knew he was referring to her visit with Chloe.

"Yeah, I think we're...I think we're good. Ouch!" She stopped and bent over, trying to catch the breath that the baby had just kicked out of her.

"Lois?" Clark was right there, holding her shoulders, his face concerned as he towered over her.

"That was a strong one." Lois said, still a little breathless.

"Maybe we should go and see Emil, or Jor-El."

"No, no I'm fine. We need to get back to work."

His face darkened for a split second. "You're not working like this Lois. I'll call Perry and ask for the afternoon off. There's something I need to talk to you about anyway."

His face was giving nothing away and it was frustrating her. "What is it?"

"I want to talk about what's going to happen after the baby comes."

Before she could answer, she was hit with another wave of pain, this time much stronger. She cried out and doubled over, grabbing Clark's arm in a vice-like grip.

"That's it. We're going to see Jor-El."

She didn't have a chance to say anything because he'd already picked her up in his arms, walked into the alley next to the hospital and the next thing she knew, they were moving at the speed of sound.

_To Be Continued..._


	38. Chapter 37

_**Chapter Thirty Seven**_

Clark knelt down next to the crystal table that Lois was lying on. His whole face contorted in concern for her and their baby. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure. I don't know why, but it just stopped. I feel fine." she replied, trying to sit up. But he gently pushed her shoulders back down.

"Lois, please just stay there until Jor-El's finished."

She was going to argue, say that she was fine again, but the worry in his eyes stopped her. He was scared, she realised. But she didn't know what to do to ease that for him. She nodded and settled back down. In truth, she really didn't mind, the crystal table was so warm and comfortable, she didn't really want to get up again.

After a few minutes, the table stopped glowing and Jor-El's voice boomed out into the icy air, echoing off the crystal walls.

"I have completed the tests, Lois you may sit up now."

Clark helped her up but kept an arm around her waist as they stood together. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"I can find nothing wrong with either of them Kal-El. Do not worry my son, both mother and son are fine."

"Fine? You saw how much pain she was in when we got here Jor-El!" he yelled. "Don't tell me she's fine!"

"Clark…" Lois whispered but he wasn't listening to her.

"Lois may be experiencing what I believe the humans call Braxton-Hicks. I believe it is simply her body's way of preparing for the birth."

Lois' eyes popped wide open. "Whoa, hang on a second. I'm nowhere near ready to have this baby Jor-El." But then Emil's words came to mind, the baby was bigger than he should be and she looked to be about eight months pregnant. What if…? She couldn't finish the thought.

"I am aware that it is early Lois, but I did warn you that this could happen. The baby is becoming too strong and big. He will be born soon."

"How soon?" she asked, trying to keep from freaking out. "Can't you just give me a timeline?"

She glanced at Clark. "Is he always this cryptic?"

"You have no idea." Clark replied darkly.

"I cannot foresee the future Lois, I can only tell you what I know. It is my strong suggestion that you get as much rest as you can, you are going to need to save your energy." Jor-El said.

"Well that's helpful." Lois grumbled. "Everyone keeps saying this is a big baby, I'm starting to worry I may be giving birth to an elephant." Sighing, she looked up at Clark, who was staring into thin air with a frown. "Hey, you okay?"

His attention snapped back to her. "I don't know. Come on, let me take you home."

She didn't push for answers as he took her into his arms, she just wished she knew of a way to get him to talk to her. She didn't like this whole silent, pensive thing he had going. It made her wonder what was going through his mind. She knew he was worried, but about what exactly? How their son would turn out? If she could handle giving birth? She just didn't know, and it was really frustrating her.

* * *

Chloe stirred from her slumber, feeling better than she had in ages. Must be all the sleep, she guessed with a chuckle. She turned her head, and her heart melted at what she saw. Oliver was fast asleep in the chair by her bed. How long had he been there? He looked exhausted. She let herself watch him, aware that she was staring but unable to look away.

"Oliver." she whispered. His head shot up, eyes wide and alert. But when they settled on her, a warmth grew in them and he reached forward to take her hand in his.

"Hey, how you feeling?"

"Pretty good actually, considering. Where is everyone?"

"Well, uh…" He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugged. "I have no idea actually."

"Lois was here earlier."

He was instantly wary, and Chloe wondered why. Hadn't they patched things up yet? Lois had been back for weeks, surely something would've changed.

"Really? She didn't upset you did she?"

"What? No, why would you say that?"

"I don't know, maybe because she ran off and left you holding the Romano bag. The one that almost got you killed."

"Ollie, that wasn't her fault and you know it. I know you're still worried about me, but we did something terrible to Lois, and we had to pay for that."

He nodded, but she could still see a trace of bitterness in his eyes. "So are you two okay now?"

"Yeah, I think so. The trust we had will have to be repaired, but I think everything's going to be okay. I can't believe she's having Clark's baby. I never saw that one coming."

"Neither did he. But it's nice…I guess."

"Ollie, what is it?" she asked, sensing something else that was bothering him. He couldn't still be this angry about Lois leaving. He didn't reply, and she was starting to get a little worried. "Hey, talk to me."

He let go of her hand and stood up, crossing over to the window. With his back to her, he started. "I was so angry at you Chloe."

"Me?" She had to admit, she was a little shocked. But then after thinking about it, she could see why.

"You dumped me. And I know what we did was wrong, and it hurt a lot of people. But why did you have to make us suffer that too?"

The fact that he wouldn't look at her wasn't helping her growing nervousness. She shifted into a sitting position and ran both hands through her hair. "I'm sorry Ollie. I was a mess, I wasn't thinking clearly. When Lois and I were little, we made each other a promise. A promise that we would never hurt each other. I didn't keep that promise Ollie. I let her get hurt, and I helped. I couldn't be happy with you, knowing that I had done that to her."

He turned around slowly, his face solemn. "But you didn't think twice about hurting me."

Chloe gasped, feeling his barb sting deep. "Is that what you thought this was about? That's not what I wanted at all. You know that."

"I have been going out of my mind this past month, not knowing if you were ever going to wake up. You coded three times Chloe, I almost lost you. I can't lose you again."

"You won't. I'm not going anywhere."

Suddenly, he was by her side again, clutching her hand in both of his. "Don't ever do that to me again Chloe, I love you."

"I love you too Ollie, and I'm so sorry that I put you through all that. But you understand, don't you?"

"I guess. Doesn't make it any easier to deal with, but I can understand why you did it."

She placed her other hand on his cheek, smiling as he leaned into her touch. "If you'll have me, I'd like to give it another shot. Get back to where we were."

"I don't think we can go back there." He shook his head, and she felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. Was he saying it was over? For good?

"Ollie…"

"No, let me talk Chloe. Please." he said softly. "I missed you so much, you wouldn't see me, and phone calls and messages weren't enough. I was worried about you, throwing yourself into your work like that, going after any lead on Romano. It was bad enough that Lois had vanished, Clark had pretty much gone off on his own, but I had to lose you too. I couldn't take it. And then you got hurt, and the doctors were telling me that it didn't look good. I've never been so scared in my life. I hired the best doctors from around the globe and none of them could do anything to help you."

He closed his eyes for a moment, reliving the day they told him it was possible that she would never wake up. "I made a promise to myself, that when you woke up, I would never let you go again."

Chloe raised her brows. "You're saying you want to try again?"

"No, yes, what I'm saying is…" He paused and took a deep breath. "I want you in my life Chloe, I couldn't bear it if I lost you for good."

She gasped a little, unable to control it. "Do you mean it? You forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive Chlo…I love you, I always have and I always will. We need to put the past behind us, and move on with our lives. We can't change what happened. But Lois and Clark are having a baby, they're moving on, even if they aren't together. I would like the chance to be with the woman I love. And I know in my heart that you want that too."

She cupped his cheek. "I love you Ollie, and I'm so sorry that I ended things between us. I wasn't strong enough, I couldn't let myself be happy knowing that my cousin was hurting so much. I never thought about what it would do to you. But I have a different perspective now."

"And that is?"

"To be with the person I love, and not let anything stand in the way anymore." She cupped his face in both hands and kissed him. "Ollie, I won't ever leave you again. I promise."

"Good, I'm holding you to that."

* * *

"_Mayor Dawson stunned everyone today by announcing her decision not to step down as Mayor and to also run again in the elections, which will take place at the end of this month…"_

Lois tuned the news reporter's voice out and snuggled deeper under her blanket. The warmth from the fire was making her feel drowsy, or it could've been the long day she'd had. Either way she was exhausted and she wasn't sure she could even be bothered to get off the sofa to make it to her bed.

Her mind kept replaying the journey home, the short journey held in Clark's arms. When they'd arrived back at the Talon apartment, he'd been so quiet, he just stared at her like he was afraid to look away. Before he'd left, he'd placed his hand over her tummy, his thumb stroking softly, and then he'd lowered his head and whispered something that she couldn't hear to their son.

As she lay there thinking about Clark, the baby moved and she felt her belly ripple beneath her palm.

"Hey there little guy, what are you trying to do, give your daddy a heart attack? If that were even possible. You are so lucky to have him in your life, you're going to love him. Everyone loves him, he's…well he's your dad. And I know that as soon as he sees you, he's going to fall madly in love with you too. And trust me kid, you're gonna want him around because your mommy sure does like to talk a lot. But I guess you already figured that out huh?"

She giggled when she felt him move again, soft little movements that didn't cause any pain, as if he were agreeing with her. But then her face turned serious again. "I just want you to know, that I may screw up sometimes, and I might not always make the right decisions, but you are the most important part of my life now. And I just…I want you to know that this thing…with your dad and I, it has nothing to do with you. Okay? It's all just very complicated right now and I don't know if it can ever be fixed. But you, my special little boy, you were created out of love, and nothing will ever change that."

A knock at the door startled her out of her reverie but before she could get up, it opened and she cursed herself for not having locked it when Clark had left earlier. But when his head peered around the door, she relaxed again.

"Hey Lois. How are you feeling?" he asked as he slowly entered the room.

"I feel fine, no more pain, just tired. And also…" She tried to get up, but failed. "Beached."

Clark chuckled, watching as she struggled to get up. "You want a hand?"

"No I got it. Thanks." But she clearly didn't have it, because she couldn't even get off her back.

"Come on Lois don't be so stubborn, give me your hands."

He smiled and held out both hands for her to grab and when he was sure she had a good hold, he pulled her up with no effort. Settling into a sitting position, she wrapped the blanket around her legs and looked up at Clark. He was still smiling, well it was certainly an improvement on the look he'd been sporting earlier.

"Why are you here Clark?" The question came out a little more abrupt than she'd planned, but she couldn't help it, he was just standing there with that puppy dog look, hands shoved into his jeans pockets, looking happy about something. And it was making her feel uneasy.

"I told you earlier that I wanted to talk to you about what's going to happen with the baby." Both his tone and expression were strong, letting her know that he was deadly serious about this.

"Oh? And you choose this time of night to do it?"

"Yes, because it has to be done." he said, sitting down next to her. "He could be here any day now and we need to figure out a game plan."

Lois shook her head, unsure of where he was going with this. But she supposed he was right. It did need discussing. "Uh, well I told you already Clark, you can see him whenever you want to. That will never be an issue with me,"

"I appreciate that. But I've been doing a lot of thinking and I had a different idea, one where we'll all be happy." His smile was beginning to unnerve her now.

"And that would be?"

"I want us to live…together."

"What?" she spat, eyes wide. "You can't be serious!"

"Why not? It would solve everything. You wouldn't be alone, you wouldn't have to worry about money, and I would get to see my son on more than just a visiting basis." He turned towards her so quickly that she had no time to move, and grasped both of her hands. "I really think this can work Lois."

"And what about us Clark? What about the fact that we're not together, don't you think that would just confuse him?"

"Is it any worse than him living in a totally different place to his father?" he countered.

"Why are you doing this Clark? This idea…it can only lead to tears. And I've cried enough over you to last me a lifetime."

Clark abruptly dropped her hands and stood up, then started pacing in front of her. "How long are you going to hold my mistakes over my head Lois? I can't change the past, I can only do the right thing now, and I don't want to miss my son growing up! I thought you'd forgiven me!"

"I did!" she yelled, kind of taken aback at his assertive attitude. This wasn't the Clark she was used to dealing with. Had she pushed him too far?

"Then why won't you let me forget it? I hurt you, I get it. But I did it for the right reasons, and you can never in a million years know how much I regret it. But please, Lois, please don't make me miss out on all of my baby's firsts. I need to be there with him, watching him grow and learn. I want to see him take his first steps, say his first words. I need to be there…for both of you."

His adamant declaration had quite honestly shocked Lois. She sat there, speechless, unable to take in all of what she was hearing. Living with Clark would be such a mistake, she knew that deep down. Then why was her heart telling her it wasn't such an awful idea? He was right, it wouldn't be fair to deprive him or their son of each other. But could she do it? Could she live in the same apartment as him and not fall for him again?

"I'm not asking for you to think about us Lois, I'm just asking that you do this for our son. He needs _both_ his parents, and I want to be there for you too. You're going to need some help when he arrives, I know how independent you are, but this is not something you're used to dealing with."

She drew in a deep breath, and as she looked up into his eyes, it caught in her throat. There was such an energy in that gaze, so much fire and passion for what he was asking. How could she say no?

With a feeling of dread that she was going to regret it, Lois nodded. "Okay Clark."

"Okay?" He stopped pacing and regarded her warily.

"Okay. We'll find a place. But I'm not promising anything okay?"

His whole face transformed into one of sheer excitement and she had to admit, it was adorable and strangely infectious. "Thank you, you won't regret this Lois. I'll make sure of it."

"I really hope so Clark, because this can't go wrong, understand? This has to work, for him." she said, rubbing her tummy.

Clark sat down next to her again and placed his hand over hers. "It will work Lois. For our son." But as he spoke, his eyes never once left hers and she got the impression that he was referring to so much more.

_To Be Continued..._


	39. Chapter 38

_**Chapter Thirty Eight**_

"Are you serious?" Lois asked, barely containing her laughter.

Clark glared at her from across his desk in the Daily Planet's bullpen. "It's not funny Lois."

She tried hard, but couldn't stifle the laughter. It kept bubbling up to the surface. "I'm sorry but it kind of is. Plus I already had to deal with it so I guess it's your turn now. Time to have a little fun Clark."

"Working with Cat is not my idea of fun. I don't know why Perry thinks she's a good replacement for you." he replied. "And you're enjoying this way too much."

"Well I'm officially on maternity leave now, what else do I have to do besides waiting." she grinned.

Clark leaned back in his chair and watched Lois for a second. She was swinging from side to side in her chair, hands resting over her now very large stomach, and glancing around the bullpen as if she were never going to see it again. He knew that she hated having to leave, but if Jor-El was right, and the baby was going to come any day now, it was best that she get the rest she needed.

Plus the constant twinges and pains she'd been having, were getting more and more frequent lately. His stomach clenched nervously as he thought of his son arriving soon, how he would be getting to meet his tiny baby, and he knew it would be soon. He could just feel it.

"Have you finished packing yet?" he asked, dragging her attention back to him.

"Almost."

"Almost? Lois I know what your 'almost' means. Did you actually do any? We're moving in tomorrow."

It had been just over two weeks since he'd asked her to move in with him, and three days ago, they had found the perfect apartment. Even though his parents had been surprised, they knew it was necessary and they agreed that the best place for him was to be with his family.

But he suspected his mom was going to have a harder time letting him go than his dad. He was going to be twenty two in a week, and he knew that his parents still thought that that was pretty young, but this was where he needed and wanted to be.

It was a lovely apartment, large enough with a balcony that gave a beautiful view of the city. But to be honest, the only thing he cared about was that Lois liked it. And he could tell from the look on her face when they'd viewed it, that she'd fallen in love with it. That was all it took for him. Dotting the I's and crossing the T's had taken less time than he'd thought it would, but he was glad it had been dealt with so quickly.

He wanted both himself and Lois all settled in before the baby arrived. That being said, he was also nervous to be living with her. He knew she didn't hate him anymore, and that she had forgiven him, but there was something still holding her back from him. Those walls had gone back up and he wasn't sure he could break them down again. But he'd made a promise to try, and try he would.

But for now, he was going to play it cool, because he knew from experience, that nothing drove Lois crazy quite like someone not playing into her expectations. The first time they'd met she'd been irritated that she couldn't quite figure him out. And he was going to use that to his advantage here. She had to know how he still felt about her, so she would be wondering why, after kissing her before, he wasn't making any moves on her. So he would wait. And then, when her guard was down…

"I am aware of that, and like I said, I am almost done. I just have a few little things to box up and I'm done." She sighed. "It's going to be so weird though."

"Living with me?"

She chuckled. "Well that too, but no. Living in Metropolis again. I'm not sure I know how to live in the city anymore. Smallville has done something to me."

"Nah, you're a city girl at heart Lois."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not, but I'll take it as one." She stood up and started pacing around her desk and he frowned, wondering if her leg was cramping again. Sitting for too long was not an option for her right now, and he hated that he couldn't make this whole experience any easier on her.

"Don't." she said, smiling sideways at him.

"Don't what?"

"Look at me like that. I'm fine, there's nothing going on."

He nodded but his frown didn't ease as he shifted his gaze back to his computer. "Okay then."

Two seconds later, a pair of slender legs, only half covered by a black pencil skirt appeared next to him and he glanced up into the smiling- no, grinning, face of Cat Grant.

"You two just can't get enough of me lately huh?" she said, perching herself on the edge of Clark's desk. "First Lois, now you." She leaned in closer to Clark, as if Lois wasn't even there, her shoulder length blonde hair falling around her face. "Truthfully, I'd much rather work with you. You don't talk as much."

Clark moved his chair back and stood up, very aware of the glare on Lois' face as she continued pacing up and down. "Well I'm sure it will be very interesting Cat. And we have a lot that we have to get done before…"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah I got it. Baby Kent is gonna be making his grand appearance soon, don't worry, we all got the memo."

Cat hopped off the desk, using Clark's shoulder for leverage and Lois barely managed to disguise a snort. Clark's eyes quickly met hers but she looked away from his questioning gaze. There was no way she was jealous, no way. Clark wasn't even hers, why would she get jealous?

But watching Cat practically salivating over Clark and the prospect of working with him, Lois couldn't help but feel a little out of place. The fact that Cat was barely managing to keep her 'assets' where they belonged, in her shirt, was only making Lois feel more and more hideous. Which she knew was ridiculous, but it was there nonetheless.

"Okay then, well I guess I'd better go finish packing." she said, abruptly turning away.

"Oh are you going somewhere Lois?" Cat asked, feigning interest. Lois managed a half smile.

"Nope, I'm moving into an apartment here in Metropolis, with Clark."

Cat's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh really?" But she didn't take the bait. Her gaze turned almost predatory as she turned back to Clark. "You're going to be living in the city? That's great. We can do…research together, you know, for our articles."

"Research? Is that what you call it now?" Lois snorted.

"I think we can do enough research here, don't you Cat? I don't really want to take my work home with me." Clark replied, ever the diplomat, Lois thought. Why, for once, couldn't he just be forceful?

She quickly stamped down on her feelings, because it was just stupid to feel this way. Her hormones were all over the place, she was nervous about her impending date with a hospital bed, or whether she would actually be in a hospital, and she just didn't have the energy right now to deal with this.

She opened her mouth to tell Clark, who still hadn't moved away from Cat, she noticed, that she was leaving, when her cell phone started buzzing. She fished it out of her pocket and headed into the hallway, leaving Miss 'research' with Clark. "Lois Lane."

"Miss Lane, it's Mayor Dawson here."

"Oh hi, how are you?"

"I'm good thank you, how are you? How's the little one doing?"

"We're both fine thank you." Lois replied, waiting for her to get to the reason she'd called. She couldn't imagine the Mayor calling for a social chat.

"Good, that's good. I'm calling just to let you know what I found out. I'm sorry its taken this long but…red tape, what can you do?"

"You're the Mayor of this city, I thought red tape didn't apply to you." Lois said, walking slowly up and down the hallway, rubbing her stomach where her son kept insisting on kicking. Why did he always have to go for the same spot?

"Oh it does, believe me. Anyway, you were right. DA Romano was the one who posted bail on the guy who attacked you. His name is Ethan Pierce."

"I know, I went to visit him…but something came up and I didn't get a chance to talk to him." Lois closed her eyes at the memory. That had been the day that Clark had come back, she'd been so relieved to see him alive that she'd totally forgotten about Ethan.

"So is he still in the city?" Lois asked. "Because its been months since your attack and more since mine. I can't imagine Romano keeping a loose end like that around."

The Mayor sighed wearily. "Well that's the thing. Nobody knows where he is. I had someone go over to his house, to arrest him for my attack, but he wasn't there. And from the looks of his place, he hasn't been there in a while. I have to say, it's making me very nervous. The re-election is next week, I can't afford to spend time worrying about getting shot again."

"But the Blur has been keeping an eye on you." Lois said, glancing through the glass door at Clark, who was smiling at Cat. Frowning, she turned her back to the scene and tried to focus on the Mayor's reply.

"…and I'm very grateful. But this can't go wrong Miss Lane. If we want to keep Romano out of the Mayor's seat then we have to make sure that I'm re-elected."

"With your following, that shouldn't be a problem. You're the most popular Mayor we've ever had."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Miss Lane…"

"Please, call me Lois."

"Alright then, well I just wanted to pass that on to you. I know that you're on maternity leave now so I don't want you to do anything about it, but I thought it was only fair that I let you know. Since it was your idea. I'm having an investigator look into Romano's cases. If there's anything there, he'll find it."

"I don't know, the DA knows how to avoid suspicion." It couldn't be that easy to take him down, Lois thought. She didn't bother to mention the DA's other agenda for getting into office. Namely, the Blur.

"Well, we'll see. In the meantime, I don't want you to cover any more of these articles okay? If something happened to you or your baby, well, I just wouldn't be able to live with that. And Anthony has already hurt enough people. I'm sure Clark will manage just fine."

"He has a new partner, so I'm sure he will." Lois grumbled.

"You don't sound too happy about that." Mayor Dawson said, with a hint of amusement in her tone.

"I haven't even left the office yet and she's all over him." _Whoa, where did that come from?_ Why was she telling a virtual stranger about Cat?

"Something tells me it wouldn't matter if she walked into that bullpen completely naked Lois. I've only met him twice, but even I can tell that Clark cares about you."

"He's bound to, I'm about to have his child." Okay seriously, why was she having this particular conversation with a woman who knew nothing about their past?

"You and I both know there's more to it than that Lois. Anyway, I must go, I have an appointment to get to. Just remember what I said."

"I'll stay out of trouble, I promise."

She chuckled. "Well that too, but I meant about Clark. Take care Lois."

"You too, and thank you."

Lois hung up and turned back to the bullpen, but just as she got to the doorway, she saw Cat lean in and from her angle, it looked just like she was kissing Clark. And Clark wasn't pulling away. A sudden burst of emotion hit Lois hard, and she just couldn't think straight. So she abruptly turned away and headed for the elevator.

"Cat, seriously, if we're going to be working together, you can't do things like that." Clark said sternly, stepping away from her.

"Like what?" Cat asked, feigning a frown. "I was only asking if there was something in my eye, it's sore."

"I'm sure it is. Look Cat, I've tried really hard to ignore the rumours about you ever since I started working here. But this…what you're doing now, you're only playing into what everyone says about you."

For the first time since she'd arrived, Cat's bravado failed her and her smile faded. "What exactly does 'everyone' say about me?"

Clark sighed, not really wanting to deal with this right now. "Look, we're going to be partners, but I am having a baby with Lois. I'm not available."

"I didn't realise you and Lois were back together." she said innocently, yet Clark knew it was anything but.

"We're not. Not yet. But I don't want anyone else. I love Lois, she's the only one I'll ever want."

Cat smiled, and this time, it was a genuine one. "You're a great guy Clark. I hope Lois knows how lucky she is. But for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'll back off."

"Thank you. That means a lot." Clark smiled and looked around, wondering where Lois had gotten to. She couldn't be on the phone for this long surely. She wasn't anywhere in sight so he stepped into the hallway. He could hear the elevator, but she wasn't around. Refusing to allow panic to set in just yet, Clark went back to his desk.

"I gotta go." he said to Cat, grabbing his jacket before running up the stairs like the place was on fire.

Cat watched him race after Lois, wondering exactly what it was that Lois had, that kept Clark so enamoured. She sure as heck couldn't see it.

"Lois!" Clark caught up to her just down the street, and he knew she heard him, but she just kept walking.

"Hey, Lois!" He grabbed her arm and stopped her, yet he wasn't prepared for the anger he saw in her eyes. Anger and…hurt. Immediately alert, Clark grabbed her shoulders, pinning her in front of him.

"Don't touch me!"

"What's wrong?"

"Me, I'm what's wrong!" she said in disgust, but it appeared to be directed more at herself than him. "I was stupid enough to think that this could work."

"What are you talking about? I'm confused,"

"I saw Cat practically drooling over you in there. And you did nothing to dissuade her. But I'm angry, because I know that I have no right to be feeling like that! We're not together, you don't belong to me. I hate feeling this way! There, you happy now?"

Confused, bewildered, and puzzled, those words couldn't describe what Clark was feeling right now. He was sure that his face must be a picture. He had no idea what had caused this, but it was clear that she was upset. And he didn't like it.

He pulled her over to a set of steps and made her sit. "Lois, I don't really know what's happening right now…but there is nothing between me and Cat, you know that."

"Of course I know that, just like I know what I saw wasn't you kissing her. But that's what it looked like.

"When…oh, no she was asking me to check if there was something in her eye."

Lois scoffed. "I'm sure she was."

"She did, but I told her that if we're going to be working together, she can't do things like that. Is that what's bothering you?"

"No! Yes, maybe." Lois grunted and threw her head into her hands. "I don't know. I don't like this Clark. I have no claim over you and I know it's completely selfish since I don't want us to get back together, but I don't want you to date other women."

"What?" Clark was honestly surprised to hear that, did she really think he could date even if he wanted to?

"I'm having your baby, and I'm scared Clark. Really scared." Clark felt a kick to his gut as he saw tears appear in her beautiful hazel eyes. "I can't do this by myself. I know I haven't exactly been easy to deal with since I got back. But you have to understand that it's been so hard for me. I don't know how to be around you anymore. But I need you, I can't…I don't want to be stuck at home while you go out seeing other women."

"Lois, do you really think I could date anyone else?" He reached out and brushed a tear away. "I can't. And you are not alone, you'll never have to do anything by yourself, I'll always be here for you. You know that."

"I know, but I can't…I don't know what I'm supposed to be feeling right now. Everything seems so…"

"I know, but I promise you, I'm not going anywhere. Tomorrow we're moving into our new apartment, and then our son will be joining us soon after. We'll be a family Lois, if that's what you want."

Slowly, and almost shyly, Lois smiled. "I'd like that. I'm sorry,"

"For what?"

"I don't know where that neurotic little burst came from." she replied, wiping her eyes.

"There's nothing to apologise for Lois, you're going through a lot right now. I understand."

He got to his feet and helped her up, but once she was standing, he didn't let go of her hands. "Whatever it takes Lois, I will make you see that I am going nowhere."

What she did next, surprised him. She put her arms around his shoulders and leaned in for a hug. "Thank you. Ugh, I hate these hormones." she murmured against his chest.

He wanted to tell her that he still loved her, but it would only make matters worse at the moment, she wasn't ready to hear that just yet. He wondered if she could hear his heart beating fast, because even though what had just happened felt like huge progress, her words stuck in his head. She didn't want to get back together.

The question was, did she mean for now? Or forever?

_To Be Continued..._


	40. Chapter 39

_**Chapter Thirty Nine**_

"Are you crying again?" Jonathan asked with an exasperated sigh as Martha dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

"I can't help it, okay? He's my only son!" she defended. Jonathan smiled and put the box of kitchenware down on Lois and Clark's counter, then wrapped his arms around his tearful wife.

"Between you and Lois, this place is full of emotions today. Sweetheart, he isn't leaving us. He's where he needs to be. And you know he'll always be home in a flash for some of your cherry pie."

Martha chuckled. "I know, you're right it's just…" She glanced around the kitchen. Lois and Clark's new apartment was certainly nice, and very spacious, and she wondered if Lois had chosen it for that reason. But she couldn't help but feel a little sad that her little boy was growing up and moving away from home.

"It's just that he's growing up so fast. It's like one day he was a toddler and then I blinked and he's moving out, with a baby of his own on the way and…he'll be twenty two next week and I never expected all this to happen so soon."

Jonathan kissed her forehead. "He's still our son. That's something that will never change. And it's something that he will get to experience for himself soon enough."

Martha nodded and drew her husband closer to her. She needed the comfort right now. "I was scared he wouldn't have this. But I'm worried about Lois…"

"She'll come around."

Martha raised her head and gazed questioningly at him, and he smiled knowingly in response. "I have a sixth sense about these things. You hear that?" He pointed to the door, where voices were starting to drift in and Martha couldn't help but chuckle.

"At least they're friends again. It's almost like listening to them when they first met. But things are so different now, there's a baby for one thing, I just want Lois to be able to be truly happy here."

"And she will be, in time. Listen to me Martha Kent, when has a woman ever been able to resist the Kent charm?"

Martha raised a brow. "Pretty sure of yourself there aren't you?"

He bowed his head. "Of course, because I'm right. She couldn't resist it the first time, now that they're living together and having a child together, how long do you think it will take until she sees that they belong together?"

"Wow, I never expected to hear that from you."

"I'm not as old-fashioned as I used to be. But Lois is perfect for Clark, in every way. I think what made…_makes_ her so special, is the fact that she makes him feel like something he could never be."

"Human." Martha said, with a bright smile. He loved that smile, it always made him happy to see it. It was like sunshine on a dreary day to him.

"Human." he agreed. "So don't you worry, they'll be just fine. I promise."

A loud crash from the living room, closely followed by Lois' yelling made both of them chuckle.

"I think we should probably go and rescue him, her hormones are all over the place right now." Martha whispered, breaking the hug to head into the living room.

What she saw made her clamp down on her urge to laugh. Lois was standing, hands on hips in the corner of the almost empty living room and Clark was near the doorway, holding a few broken pieces of crystal glass in his hands. It was the look on his face that finally broke her silence and she had to laugh at the scared puppy expression.

Lois Lane was certainly one of a kind, Martha mused. She was the only woman that could actually make someone as powerful as Clark stutter in fear, and he needed that.

"Come on Clark, all those superpowers and you can't avoid breaking one vase?"

"Lois, it's just a vase. We can get another one." he replied quietly, treading very carefully. He'd been having to do that a lot lately, the more time that passed, the more agitated she got and he didn't want to make it worse.

"That's not the point! It could've been sentimental. I told you to let me bring that box up."

"And I told you no because you're not carrying anything heavy." This he was adamant about, no matter how many glares she sent his way.

"You think a box of pillows is too heavy!"

"Lois, I'm not budging on this."

She huffed out a sigh and turned on her heel, heading for the kitchen. "Fine, but don't think I'm going to be cleaning that up."

Clark turned to his parents, who were watching with amusement, and sighed. "You know as much as I want her to rest, I really hope this baby comes soon."

Jonathan clapped him on the shoulder. "Get used to it son, you're living with her now. And as hard as it might be now, just wait until Junior arrives."

Martha threw them both a glare. "Just be grateful you're not the ones going through it. I'm going to go and see if she needs any help."

Clark and Jonathan shared an uneasy glance, both aware that Jonathan had just put his foot in it with his wife. "I'll be hearing about that later."  
Clark laughed as he started cleaning up the glass. "So how long has she been crying today?"

"So how's Chloe doing?" Martha asked, trying to break the tension in the kitchen. Lois stopped her furious sorting of the new dishes and turned to face her.

"Oh she's great. She's only been out of the hospital three days and she's already talking about getting back to work. To which Oliver strongly objected." she said with a light chuckle. "It's a good thing he moved her into his apartment with him."

Martha went about sorting through the new cutlery sets, placing them in the drawer that Lois had indicated. "That's good, he'll keep her in line."

"Someone needs to. If it were up to her, she'd already be back in the bullpen."

"Hard to see who she shares that trait with."

Lois laughed at the pointed look Martha was giving her. This woman was the best, Lois thought. She never judged, she never criticised, she was just…there. She loved and cared and never pushed. That was what Lois loved about her the most, whoever had a problem, if they wanted to talk, could always go to her.

"So how are things with you and Oliver?"

Lois shrugged and returned to her box. "I honestly don't know. I haven't really spoken to him, he's avoiding me. I think he's still angry with me."

Martha frowned. "Why would he be angry with you? None of this was your fault sweetie, things just…got out of control."

Lois nodded, for the first time, feeling none of the bitterness that bringing up that particular subject always brought. "He still blames me for Chloe getting hurt."

"What? That's ridiculous!"

"No, he's right. I left…everyone. I just took off because I couldn't handle what had happened. I stayed away because I was too hurt to come back, and in doing so, I put my cousin in danger. I left her to deal with the DA stuff on her own."

Lois jumped a little as Martha dropped a handful of forks into the drawer with a loud clatter. "You listen to me, that was not your fault okay? What happened to Chloe was awful, but there is only one person to blame for all that. Clark and Oliver were here, both of them wanted to help her, she wouldn't let them. She was too wrapped up in her own guilt for her part in hurting you. Another thing she shares with you. You all feel bad for what happened, I get that, but none of you were driving that car were you?"

Lois was a little taken aback by the sudden fierceness of Martha Kent, so she just nodded meekly. She'd never seen her react like that before. "You're right. I guess there's a lot of stuff still going on in here." she said, tapping her forehead.

Martha tilted her head and smiled in sympathy. "Sweetie, you need to talk to Oliver. It's pretty clear to me that you miss your friend. And Oliver misses you too, no doubt."

"I know and I will. But for today…" she said, forcing a little more cheer into her voice. "It's moving day. And I want to enjoy being able to walk around before Clark tries to confine me to bed rest or something."

"Oh I don't think he'd dare." Martha laughed.

Lois grimaced. "Have I really been that bad?"

"No honey, you're extremely pregnant and your emotions are getting the better of you, right now. But it will get better. Besides, I think Clark can handle it." she added, in a conspiratorial tone. Lois chuckled.

"Thank you." she said seriously. "For everything."

Martha nodded and patted her arm. "Lois, you know you can always come to me, with anything. I'll always be here for you. And for my grandson."

Lois' eyes blurred with tears. "Thanks, that means a lot to me."

"Oh and by the way, we're having a celebration dinner at the farm tonight. Well, actually if I'm honest, it's more of a goodbye thing. It'll be Clark's last evening with us and I want us all to share it, as a family."

Martha's eyes misted over and suddenly, Lois felt very insensitive. Here she was going off about a broken vase and she'd never even considered how hard this must be for Clark's parents. Although he was only moving away, she knew that Martha would be feeling like she was losing him.

So she walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "You know you can't get rid of him Martha, he'll always need you. You can take the boy off the farm but deep down, he'll always love his flannel."

"Thank you Lois, that's sweet of you to say. But he's got his own life now, with you and this little one and I'm so happy for the both of you. It's silly to be upset about such a wonderful thing."

"Not really, I'd be the same." she chuckled. "I probably will, when the time comes. Oh wow, now that's a scary thought."

"You know something Lois?"

"Hmm?"

"You're going to make a wonderful mother."

Lois actually felt her cheeks heat a little, though she wasn't sure why. "Uh, thanks. I hope so. But Clark and I do make a pretty good team, so it can't be that easy to mess this up, right?"

Martha laughed and went back to the cutlery. "Right."

~~~~~~~

Later that evening, after the last of the plates were cleared away, Lois carefully lowered herself onto a stool and rubbed her aching back. Martha gave her a admonishing glance as she finished drying the counter. "I told you to sit down. I could've done them by myself."

"I wanted to help. Besides, that might just be the best meal I've ever had. Though I think Clark used the excuse of saving someone just to get out of doing the dishes."

Jonathan laughed as he came into the kitchen. "Well he has been known to use his chores as an excuse before, even though I used to find him sitting in the barn."

Lois widened her eyes in mock horror. "Sneaky Clark, didn't know he had it in him." she chuckled.

"Oh there's a lot that he tried to get away with."

"Really? Do tell."

Just as she finished saying that, Clark walked in the back door wearing the biggest grin she'd seen on him in a long time. He was excited about something, which immediately made her suspicious. She would find out what is was, but first, she wanted to have a little fun.

"Where have you been? You've been gone almost two hours. Your parents were just about to break out the photo albums."

His smile quickly fell and he looked to Martha. "Please tell me you weren't."

"Relax son, we weren't getting to that…yet. But now that you mention it Lois, you haven't seen any of Clark when he was little." Jonathan said, sitting down next to Lois.

"Ooh, any embarrassing ones?"

"I'll make you a deal Lois," Clark said, leaning his hip against the kitchen counter. "If you see my baby pictures, I get to see yours."

She shook her head. "No, no way. The General has them under lock and key."

"I don't believe that. Come on, if you really wanna see me as a child then I think it's only fair I get to see you as a child."

"Nope, no dice Clark. I told you I don't have any. And the ones my mother did take, my father kept. So I don't have them."

He shrugged. "Well then, no Clark pictures for you."

It irritated her that he was not going to back down. Trying a different tactic, because for some reason she couldn't name, she really wanted to see those photos, she rubbed her bump. "But I want to see what this little guy will look like in three or four years time."

He folded his arms and smirked. "Then I guess you'll have to wait three or four years."

"I can't wait that long!"

"Aw, that sucks."

"No you suck."

"Good comeback Lois."

"I'm saving the best ones for later."

"Right, of course."

Jonathan and Martha glanced at each other, and smiled. It was just like old times. Yes, Jonathan had high hopes that these two would soon work their differences out, and baby Kent was sure to speed that process along nicely.

~~~~~~~

"You tired?" Clark asked as he and Lois stepped off the elevator a little later. She tried to stifle a yawn but failed.

"Yeah, between shopping for baby things and apartment things, moving in and going back to Smallville tonight, I'm shattered. This has been one heck of a week. And your son isn't helping things at all. He's lying right against my ribs again."

Clark unlocked the door to their apartment and stepped aside for her to enter first. It was a strange feeling, knowing that this was now his new home, a home that he shared with Lois. It all seemed so surreal, like it wasn't really happening. __

But it is, Clark. And it's what you've wanted for a long time.

That was true, ever since finding out he was going to be a father, this was all he'd dreamt of. Sharing everything with Lois. It would be weird, not living on the farm, but this was where he wanted to be.

"Do you need anything?" he asked as she took off her jacket.

"No, I think I'm just gonna call it a night."

"Oh, okay. Before you do that though, I have a little surprise for you."

Her face instantly lit up. "Baby pictures?"

He chuckled. "No, but nice try. Come on." He took her hand and led her to the spare bedroom, but paused just outside of it. "Close your eyes."

She frowned quizzically at him for a second, but then did as he asked. Once he was sure she wasn't peeking, he opened the door and guided her inside.

"Okay, you can open them now."

As soon as she did, she found herself catapulted into a place that looked so beautiful she was afraid she was seeing things.

"Clark…did you…?" She was speechless, utterly speechless. Slowly, she turned around in a complete circle, just to take it all in. The spare bedroom, which they'd been planning to turn into a nursery, was now a nursery. "When did you do this?"

"Earlier, that's why I was gone so long."

Lois stared at him, completely floored by all of this. The walls were a delicate shade of blue with a few cartoon characters stencilled here and there, the furniture was all set up, the crib being the centre of attention in the middle of the room. A couple of sets of drawers lined one of the walls and a changing table was on the other side of the room.

But the thing that got to her the most, was the rocking chair next to the window. She knew that chair, she'd seen it enough times to know where it had come from.

"Oh my God, Clark, you made this." she said breathlessly, walking over to it. She ran a hand tenderly over the back of it and looked at him. "I remember you working on it years ago."

He shrugged and walked over to her. "I wanted you to have something personal from me. To say thank you for all you're going through, just to bring our son into the world. I know it's not easy for you."

She blinked away a few tears as she looked at the freshly painted white chair, complete with a comfy soft blue cushion on the back and the seat.

"Lois? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." she replied, unable to look at him.

"You're not upset are you? I know you probably wanted to do this, but I just thought…with the baby due any day now, we should really get started and I wanted to surprise you. I'm sorry, I should've…"

"No, it's beautiful Clark. Please don't think that I don't like it. It's just…I don't really know what to say." She looked up at him, at the adorably scared expression on his face and marvelled at how he could possibly think she wouldn't like this.

"You don't have to say anything Lois, I…"

"But I do. This is a very…incredible gesture. Thank you, Clark."

"You're welcome." he replied, and she was unaware how close they'd gotten until she felt his foot nudge hers.

As their eyes locked, she felt a wave of emotion so strong, that she couldn't contain it. She stood up on her tiptoes, intending to give him a peck on the cheek, but instead, it morphed into something else. Something much more…intense. Her mouth found his as her hands cupped his face and for a moment, he seemed to be unsure what to do. As if he were afraid to let this happen.

But after a few seconds, he circled his arms around her and drew her as close as their baby would allow them to be, and kissed her back. Oh how she had missed this. The passion she could feel in his arms, the love…wait, love?

Abruptly, she broke the kiss and stepped back. She wasn't ready for that word yet. This was all a little overwhelming and she actually cursed herself for wanting to cry. Why did everything lately make her want to burst into tears? It just wasn't her.

"Lois, look at me, please."

When she didn't, he hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. "It's okay."

"No it isn't!" she said in frustration. "Because you don't understand."

"What don't I understand?"

His calm demeanour was starting to get her a little riled up, why wasn't he as affected as she was? "I can't go back there Clark, I just can't. I can't let you hurt me like that again."

He sighed. "I know, and I understand that but…"

She pushed his hand away and stepped back. "No, no buts! Don't you see? I'm angry!"

He blinked in shock. "I thought…"

"No, I'm angry at myself Clark. Because I'm hurting you and I don't know how to stop it."

"Is that what you're beating yourself up about? Lois, I know I am the last person who has any right to ask you for anything more than friendship. You don't have to worry about me."

"I don't want to hurt you anymore Clark." she sniffled. He drew her into a hug, but she held herself stiff in his embrace.

"You're not Lois. I don't know why this is bothering you so much."

She reared back, her eyes glistening. "Because I still love you!"

Clark froze, just as Lois did. Her eyes went as wide as saucers and he knew what was about to happen. But he was powerless to stop it. Caught up in a wave of elation, Clark didn't reach out in time to stop her from bolting.

The door slammed shut, the sound reverberating around the words in his head. And he smiled. __

I still love you.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._


	41. Chapter 40

I think I got a little carried away today so this chapter is like, super loooong. But you guys don't mind that right? Enjoy :)

_**Chapter Forty**_

"Lois, will you please just go and sit down or something?" Chloe said, frustrated. "You are driving me crazy here."

"Well I'm sorry but I don't have anything else to do and all this waiting is driving me crazy!" Lois grumbled, carefully lowering herself into a chair at her kitchen table.

Chloe looked over her shoulder at her. "I'm almost done, then we can decorate it. Okay?"

Lois smiled in reply, watching as Chloe went back to finishing the cake off. Which was for Clark's birthday tomorrow. Since she was still supposed to be taking it easy, Oliver had informed Chloe that she wasn't allowed to do anything stressful, so she'd decided that the best way to do that would be to spend her days with Lois while Clark was at work.

Of course, she'd made it sound like she was babysitting Lois in case she went into labour, but Lois knew the truth. And it made her feel a little sad that Chloe was still trying so hard to repair their relationship. Truthfully, it didn't need repairing.

Though she had yet to talk to Oliver, and she was actually starting to get a little worried that he wouldn't forgive her. Her mood often alternated with him because she honestly didn't think she had that much to be sorry for and it irritated her that he was still being so distant. But she could also see why he was still a little angry for the whole Chloe situation.

"Fine, but I'm not sure how long these ankles can hold me up now." she said, rubbing her bump lovingly.

Her son may have been a little less active this past week, but she certainly wasn't getting a break. Her practice contractions were getting worse, as was the pain, and she and Clark had visited Emil to talk through what would happen when she went into labour.

Emil was concerned that the standard pain medication wasn't going to be enough, which of course, sent Clark into a frenzy of worry and the made the fussing even worse than it'd been before. It didn't exactly do her any favours either. But as worried as she was, she just wanted it to be over now.

Not having a definite time-line of when he would be arriving was only making her more and more anxious. She just wanted it to be over. She wanted to meet her little boy and finally get to hold him in her arms.

Chloe giggled. "Lois, don't do that. You're still as sexy as you ever were. Doesn't Clark tell you that?"

"Clark doesn't tell me anything, and why would he? We're friends, nothing more. Having a baby together changes nothing." Lois replied, wondering what Chloe's angle was. She'd been saying a lot of cryptic things like that lately.

"Lois if you really believe that, I'll leave it alone…so…do you?"

Lois didn't like the knowing look in Chloe's eyes. It was like she could see right through her. "Yes! Now leave it alone, please!" Chloe held her hands up and backed off.

It had been almost a week since Lois and Clark had moved in together, almost a week since her phone call from the Mayor, and almost a week since she'd blurted out that she was still in love with Clark. And to make matters worse, she couldn't even avoid him like she wanted to. Because she lived with him and he was doing all these sweet things to take care of her and it was just…too much.

But she had to give him credit for one thing. He hadn't mentioned what she'd said, he'd let it go and never brought it up. Which she would be grateful for, if only her boredom hadn't given her so much time to sit and think. Was he avoiding the subject because he no longer felt the same way? Or was he simply giving her space?

She had no idea and quite frankly, it was starting to annoy her. Though she wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that he was being secretive about it. Or the fact that maybe, just maybe, after pushing him away so much, he'd finally moved on? And if he had, what did that mean for her? She didn't want to think about that.

Chloe smiled and backed away from the subject, as if sensing Lois' inner turmoil. "So after this, I think everything's ready for Clark's surprise party right?"

"Right, Martha's bringing the food. But I wanted to at least do something, since this is our apartment and all." She looked at the cake with a grimace. "And baking a cake seemed like the easy option."

"Well, three cakes later we finally got it right huh?" Chloe laughed.

"Yeah well, we'll have to see how it tastes first. Clark will probably just smile and say its great even if it tastes like rat poison. He's been walking on eggshells around me lately, and I can't really blame him. I guess I've become one of those hormonal nightmares in the latter stages of pregnancy."

Chloe smiled, like she knew something, but kept her mouth shut. "So did you get him a present?"

"Are you kidding me? I can barely leave the apartment without him keeping tabs on me. Having a super powered b…friend is hard work when you want to surprise him." Lois cursed herself for that little slip, but if Chloe had caught it, she wasn't letting on.

Instead, she changed the subject altogether. "So have you heard from the Mayor lately? Today's election day."

"I know, and no I haven't but she did say she was going to let me know what her investigation into Romano turns up." Lois said, standing now to help mix the frosting.  
"But she doesn't want me in harm's way at the minute."

Chloe scoffed. "Do you think Clark would even let that happen anyway?"

"Well of course not. I am carrying his child."

Chloe's expression turned serious for a second. "Lo, do you _really_ believe that's the only reason?"

Lois shook her head, unsure what to say. She hadn't told Chloe about her little outburst last week and she wanted to keep it that way. "What time is it? The election's gonna start soon."

She walked into the living room and turned the TV on, aware of the stare coming her way from the kitchen.

~~~~~~~

"No!" Anthony Romano yelled at the TV screen as the final results of the election were announced. He glared angrily at the supporters gathered around him in his office. Half of them he didn't even know. "Get out! All of you, go on, out!"

He'd known it was a challenge, going up against Dawson, but he'd thought he at least stood a chance in the beginning when she'd announced she was going to step down. But then those reporters had gotten to her. Clark Kent and Lois Lane were proving to be a real pain in his backside.

However, he couldn't go after either one of them right now, it would be far too suspicious and he couldn't afford to take risks. He would have to deal with them eventually, but for now he had to wait, bide his time until no one would see it coming.

He was so angry right now. People believed in him, in his quest to uncover the Blur's identity. Now it was all a wasted effort and he felt sick as he watched the Mayor smiling on screen. That duplicitous witch! She was having him investigated, but not through the proper channels, which led him to wonder exactly why she was looking into him.

He had to put a stop to it, it couldn't lead anywhere good for him. He sat down in his chair at his desk and put his head in his hands. Then on a heavy sigh, he picked up his cell phone, the untraceable one he kept for this reason alone, and dialled.

"Hello?"

"It's me. I need you to do something for me."

"No, no way man, you told me I was out. You promised me!"

"This isn't up for discussion, you will do as I ask. If you do, I promise that you will be out, after you do what I'm asking."

Ethan sighed and reluctantly gave in. "What do I have to do? I won't hurt that reporter lady again, either of them. I've caused them enough damage and she's having a baby. I won't be a part of that. I won't hurt no kid."

"If you shut up for a damn second I'll tell you." Romano spat angrily. "I need you to take the Mayor out."

Ethan's voice raised an octave as he yelled. "What? No way, it's impossible. I tried once and almost got caught."

Romano squeezed his eyes shut, the anger building within him as Ethan began to whine. "Well you'd better make sure that this time, you don't get caught. You have until the end of the day. Got it?"

"I can't do it!"

"Find a way, or it'll be you that needs a way out! And don't forget, I can have you put back in jail at any moment of my choosing!"

Romano slammed the phone down and tried to calm himself. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so angry, whether it was from losing the election, or because he had still yet to unmask the Blur. But he would, one day soon, he would. The Mayor had been holding conferences stating her opinion on the Blur, she was supporting him. Which made him even angrier.

Couldn't she see what a menace this guy really was? How his so-called hero ways were really just an act of a vigilante? There was only one reason for that, Romano thought grimly. The Blur had contacted her. Did she know who he really was? Doubtful, he wouldn't be stupid enough to reveal that to her. Romano leaned against the wall next to his floor to ceiling windows and gazed out at the city. He needed to know who the Blur was. That was his only motivation right now.

Clark Kent may have fit the bill for a while, because Romano had been keeping a close eye on him. But there didn't seem to be anything there. Clark was having a baby with Lois, and he seemed as normal as could be. So that left Romano with a nagging question. Just who exactly was the Blur?

~~~~~

"Thanks for coming with me Chlo…I just needed to get some air." Lois said as they walked down the street towards the café where they would meet Clark for lunch. She wanted all the juicy details from the election and this was the closest Clark would allow her to get to it. Which irritated her, but she knew he had a point. She was in no condition right now to be standing within a crowd of people who were scrambling and pushing for attention.

Plus, she wasn't so sure she wanted to be around Cat when she was around Clark. The man just seemed to bring something out in Cat and Lois still didn't like it. And she feared that reaction had nothing at all to do with her raging hormones. What if Clark had moved on…and what if…he liked Cat? It was possible, she was a beautiful woman, Lois had to admit. She shook her head, those kind of thoughts did nothing but harm, well to her anyway.

"No problem, though are you sure you don't wanna have lunch with him by yourself?"

She glared at her cousin as she linked her arm through hers. "Yes. I'm sure."

"Fine, fine okay. Oh, there he is." She walked on a little ahead of Lois to greet Clark who smiled warmly at her and then hugged her.

Then his eyes fell on Lois, and he frowned as he noticed how slowly she was walking, well waddling would be a more accurate term now, she supposed with a light chuckle. He said something to Chloe and then made his way over to her, falling into step beside her. She could tell he was just itching to take her arm or something, anything, but he refrained and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Hey, how you doing?"

"Oh I'm great, aside from the fact that I can barely get myself through any doors now, I'm fine."

Clark chuckled, and the sound made her feel all warm inside. She hated that he could still get to her like that.

"Come on, I reserved our table."

"_Our_ table?"

Clark turned around as she stopped, wondering if he'd said too much. He'd purposefully gone against replying to her door comment, because he thought that telling her she was still as beautiful and sexy as she'd always been to him, would've been too much. Though truthfully, she was a whole lot sexier now. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about the way she looked, heavily pregnant with his baby growing inside her. She was almost…glowing. He knew that was a cliché but it was true. She was just…beautiful.

"Uh yeah, you know, the one we always used to sit at, in the back."

"That was only so we could make out without anyone seeing us." she replied, only slightly glaring as she waddled past him and into the café. Chloe was already seated, with a menu in front of her face, hiding it from view. But Lois could see her shoulders shaking, meaning she was trying very hard not to laugh about something.

"What's up your butt?" she asked as she sat down.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all." Chloe replied, barely hiding the grin as she lowered the menu. "So how was the election Clark? Anything juicy happen?"

Clark suddenly found himself under the gaze of two pairs of intense reporter eyes. And he wasn't sure it was a good thing. They were awfully scary. "It was good, uneventful, no one tried to kill the Mayor, it was…good."

"That's it?" Lois said, raising a brow. "That's all you've got?"

"Yes Lois, that's all I've got. What else should I have?"

Lois shook her head, grabbing his notebook out of his hands. "Never leave a rookie in charge. You and I have to get back in there as soon as possible Chlo…"

"Okaaay then," Clark said, getting out of his seat. "Why don't you two ladies go over any mistakes I might've made and I'll go and order shall I?"

At the mention of food, Lois' head snapped up. "Ooh, can you get me a deli special, with coleslaw and pickles and…a hot chocolate?"

"Hot chocolate? Really?" he teased, remembering all the times she had made fun of him for drinking what she called a 'kid's drink'.

She rolled her eyes. "Can I help it if I crave the stupid stuff? I blame your son, it looks like he's already taking after you. Now vamoose, go!"

Clark chuckled. "Hungry much?"

"Hey, you wanna try carrying this load around, it's hungry work I tell you."

Seeing her smile at him like that, Clark wanted nothing more right now than to lean down and take her mouth in a hungry kiss. But he had to get control of himself here. He took Chloe's order and went over to place it, but was not surprised in the slightest when Lois called him back over. "Yes Lois?"

"Those chocolate chip muffins look really good" she said, pointing at the counter.

In a dramatic gesture, he put his hands on his hips. "Anything else?"

Lois' smile fell. "Sorry, I can go myself…" She tried to stand up but Clark crouched down in front of her and laid his hand on her swollen tummy, rubbing gently. At least she never seemed to mind him doing that and it made him feel a little closer to her and their baby.

"Lois, whatever you need or want…you know you only have to say the word and I'll get it for you."

With a slight wink, he got up and went back to the counter and Lois turned back to Chloe to see her watching her with a smirk. "Don't you dare." she warned.

Chloe acted out zipping her mouth up. "I wasn't gonna say anything."

"Sure you weren't."

~~~~~~

Lois woke up a little later that evening to find that she'd fallen asleep on the couch. Clark had obviously turned out the lights, leaving a lamp on in the corner and covering her over with a blanket. She sat up and looked around, Clark wasn't here and Chloe was gone too, obviously Clark must've taken her home. Stretching a little to get the kink out of her back, Lois stood up and made her way to the kitchen, but just as she got there, a knock sounded on the door. Groaning, she turned back and went to open it.

"Oliver."

The tall blonde stood staring at her for a second as if he had no idea what to say to her. Then his lips tilted up only briefly before he spoke. "Where's Chloe? I was supposed to be picking her up."

"Oh I think Clark beat you to it. She isn't here."

There was a tense silence between them for a few minutes, then Oliver nodded to her and started to turn away. Hating this, and on impulse, Lois reached out and grabbed his arm. "Ollie wait."

He stopped, but didn't turn, so she was left looking at his back.

"I know you're still mad at me, but I'm not the one who caused all of this. I didn't know about Chloe and…I miss you." she sighed, he still wasn't turning around. And then the tears came, and she cursed herself for them, but they wouldn't stop. "I'm sorry, okay? That's all I can say. Because you hurt me too you know! All of you, you shattered my heart and I was left to pick up the pieces. I trusted you."

Suddenly, Oliver whirled around, catching her off guard. Before she knew what was happening, he had wrapped her up in a great big hug. Burying his face in her shoulder, she felt him shudder. Moments later, her own arms went around his shoulders.

"I'm so sorry Lois. I…never meant to hurt you. You're the best friend I could ever have, and I miss you too. I miss being able to call you up and talk about anything at all. I miss being your friend. And I've been a grade A jerk these past couple of weeks. I'm sorry."

"I didn't know about Chloe…" she whispered against his shoulder.

"Ssh, I know. I never meant to take that out on you, none of this was your fault. You hear me? None of it. But I was so scared that I was going to lose her that I never stopped to think that her cousin would be feeling the same way too. It took a lot for me to stand and face you the day you came back, because I was just so…angry. But I realise that I was only punishing you for something you had no control over."

"I'm sorry I left. I should've stayed here, and…I don't know, figured it out."

He pulled back and smiled. "No, we all understood why you left Lois. We did a horrible thing to you, all of us. But I think we've all paid our dues by now, don't you?"

She narrowed her gaze at him. "Why do I get the feeling that you're hinting at something?"

"Can I help it if you're paranoid?"

She punched him in the arm. "Don't you start too."

"Hey!" He rubbed his arm. "What was that for?"

"You and Chloe, you're up to something. Look, I am so not in that place right now Ollie, I don't need you and Chloe trying to work any magic and getting Clark and I back together. It's never going to happen. Got it? Never!"

"Okay, fine…I'm sorry…Lois?" Oliver frowned, Lois had gone stiff, her eyes wide and staring at something behind him. So he turned around to see Clark standing there with a rather hurt expression. But he quickly hid it and tried to smile.

"Well I guess I should uh…" Oliver gestured towards the elevator, wanting to make himself scarce really fast. "Yeah. See you later."

Lois swallowed hard as Oliver made a hasty retreat. Clark didn't say anything as he entered the apartment and shrugged off his jacket, though the silence was deafening to Lois. She wanted to say something, anything, but found she couldn't even get the words past the lump in her throat. She felt terrible, she'd seen the moment of hurt in his eyes right before he'd hidden it.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice sounding a little tight. He was hurt and she couldn't stand it.

"I'm fine."

He turned to look at her, but his eyes didn't quite meet hers. Instead, he walked over to her and laid his hand on her tummy "How's my little boy?"

"He's uh…he's fine too." she whispered. "Clark…"

Clark raised his head, but she still couldn't get the words out. He must've sensed it though, because he smiled and this time he looked right into her eyes. "Lois, it's okay."

"It is?"

"Yeah, I don't expect anything from you, it wouldn't be fair. I did something that we can never come back from. Do I like it? No, it sucks to be honest, but I'm accepting it and I'm trying to get past it the best I can."

Just as she was about to reply, he turned and walked into the kitchen. But she saw the tiny flicker of pain in his eyes just before he did so.

"Just like that?" she said to herself, and walked after him. She stopped in the doorway and watched him as he went about getting something to eat. He seemed so…nonplussed by it that it was actually starting to irritate her. "Just like that?" she said again, this time louder so he could hear. He glanced over his shoulder at her but didn't turn around.

"Just like what?"

"I know you heard what I said Clark, are you telling me that it doesn't bother you one little bit?"

He slowly turned around and leaned back against the counter. "What exactly do you want me to say Lois? I'm really trying here, so tell me…what do you want from me?"

"I want you to at least be honest with me!" she yelled, feeling the frustration pour out of her. Frustration because of her pregnancy, her hormones, the situation with Clark. It was all getting to be too much.

"You want honesty, that's great. Well you know what Lois…?" he slammed his hand down on the counter, startling her. "That works both ways. You told me you still loved me, and for the last week I've walked around here, wanting to ask, needing to…but I couldn't. You're going through a tough time right now, and I get it, I really do. But I don't know what exactly I'm supposed to do anymore!"

"I…" she started, but he carried on.

"Honesty is a two way street, so tell me…" He moved away from the counter and walked over to her, stopping just a foot away. Suddenly, she felt nervous, like the world was shrinking around her. "Do you still love me Lois?"

"What?" She was actually shocked that he was asking, mostly because she'd already said as much last week. However, she realised that that had been in the heat of the moment and maybe he didn't really believe it.

"Please, just once," he said, softly this time and she could tell that it was killing him. "Just tell me. Do you still love me?"

No matter how much he had hurt her in the past, she just didn't have it in her to hurt him. Not this way. She knew what it felt like, but a lot had changed since then, she couldn't do that to him now.

"Yes." she whispered, avoiding his gaze. She felt his finger under her chin, raising her face to look at him.

Slowly, he smiled and moved a little closer. Eyes locked, he grasped her shoulders lightly, and leaned in, his lips lightly brushing hers. She felt a tear run down her cheek as she closed her eyes, wanting this so badly, but afraid of where it might lead.

And then all thoughts disappeared as he claimed her mouth, his hands snaking around her back, pressing her lightly to him. A tiny sob escaped her as she deepened the kiss and slid her hand up his chest, along his neck and finally to the back of his head. She lost herself in his kiss, his touch, his embrace, and so many emotions and old feelings came rushing to the surface.

But she soon became aware of a knocking sound. Was that her heart? Then suddenly, Clark's lips left hers, and she had to blink a few times to be able to focus. It was then that she became aware of someone knocking on their apartment door.

"Don't." Clark said, breathlessly.

"It might be important Clark." she replied, her own chest heaving. She moved away and went to answer the door, pausing before opening it so that she could catch her breath. She risked one little glance back into the kitchen, but Clark was no longer there. With a sinking feeling, she opened the door.

"Hey kiddo!"

"Fletch?" He lunged forward and hugged her, then stepped back, looked her over from head to toe and chuckled.

"Wow, you're getting big kiddo. When's the little one due again?"

"Uh…sometime soon. Um, not that I am complaining Fletch but…"

"What am I doing here?"

"Yeah." She stepped back and let him in, but she couldn't get her mind off Clark. Where had he gone? Was he okay?

"Well, the bar's doing really well and I let Sophia take over running it for a while so that I could take a break. And I wanted to see how you were doing."

"So did you bring Ashley?" she asked distractedly, her eyes still scanning the apartment, but Clark wasn't here anymore. Where he'd gone, she had no clue.

Fletch's face darkened for a split second, but he hid it behind a smile that Lois could clearly see was fake. "Come on, out with it."

She sat down on the sofa, deciding that if she couldn't deal with her own problems right now, she might as well help Fletch with his. After all, he'd done the same thing for her.

"Fletch, talk to me."

He sat down next to her and took her hand in his. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. "Ashley left me."

"What? Why?" She couldn't imagine why Ashley would do such a thing, she'd never seen a couple more in love.

"His parents are getting a divorce."

"But they've been married for…"

"Thirty-eight years." he scoffed. "Yeah, they just woke up one morning and decided they weren't in love with each other anymore."

"But how does that affect you and Ashley?"

"He's not handling it all that well. When he found out, I tried to be there for him, but he couldn't handle it. He said we were finished, that if someone like his parents couldn't make it, what chance did we have."

"Oh Ben…" she murmured. She only ever used his first name in times like this. "I'm sure he didn't mean it. In fact, I'm betting he only said it out of anger. He was hurting and he lashed out, you were just the closest target."

"I wish I could believe that."

"You just wait and see, he'll come back."

Fletch looked at her with questioning eyes. "Speaking from experience?"

"You have no idea."

"How are things with Clark?"

"Not good, but not bad either. It's just…taking me some time to adjust to all of this." she said, gesturing to the apartment.

Fletch shook his head. "Lois, why are you doing this to yourself? I can see how much this is hurting you. I know you still love him, why can't you just listen to your heart?"

Lois felt the tears come again, but refused to allow them to fall. "Because how am I supposed to follow a heart that's been broken?"

Fletch moved a little closer to her, and after pulling her against him, he murmured into her hair. And his next words, had a profound effect.

"You have a choice here kiddo. You have to decide what's important to you, keeping your pride and getting nothing but emptiness, or taking a risk and maybe, just maybe…getting everything you've ever wanted."

_To Be Continued..._


	42. Chapter 41

_**Chapter Forty One**_

Ethan paused, looking everywhere around him. He was nervous, he shouldn't have to do this, not again. But Romano pretty much owned him now, he didn't really have a choice. He was starting to think he was never going to get out from under his control. Maybe if he got what he wanted, namely, the identity of the Blur, he would leave him alone.

Circling the building, he withdrew his gun and attached the silencer. The darkness of the evening didn't really calm his nerves, he felt like he had a big spotlight pointing at him. He ran a shaky hand through his jet black hair, hoping he was doing the right thing as he crouched down next to a parked car.

It wasn't long before her car came, pulling up in the driveway. As she leaned into her car to get her groceries out, he took his chance, running up the driveway and grabbing her before she even had a chance to turn around.

"Be very quiet." he whispered in a hushed tone, covering her mouth with one hand, whilst using the other to point the gun into her lower back. "Make one sound and I'll kill you right here. Got it?"

Slowly, the Mayor nodded and he could feel her start to tremble as he dragged her into her house.

Once inside, he locked the door turned on the light. "Now I'm going to let go of you, if you scream or do anything I don't like…you're a dead woman. Alright?"

Again she nodded slowly, and then he let her go. She stepped back a few paces, and wrapped her arms around herself. She was trapped here, alone…with a madman who wanted her dead. Her husband wouldn't be home for another few hours, and she'd given her security an hour's break. She was really in trouble here.

"What do you want?" she asked and the man scratched the back of his neck and looked around as though he were afraid himself.

"I'm sorry I have to do this, I really am."

With a sudden burst of power, she lashed out, catching him off guard. She punched him square in the jaw and then bolted for the stairs, praying that she would be able to feel the ache in her hand if she woke up in the morning because then at least she would know she's alive.

It dawned on her that running into the bedroom was a bad idea that only those in horror movies had when he caught up to her and pushed her up against the wall.

A thought popped into her head, and she hoped that it would work. As her attacker came closer, grabbed the lapel of her jacket and shoved the barrel of the gun into her temple, she let out a scream and hoped that _he_ would hear it. All she got in return was a nasty headache because he pressed the gun even harder into her head.

"Shut up! There's no one around, I checked." he yelled in her face.

There was a sudden gust of wind, and then a strong, male voice spoke from behind him. "Oh no?"

Oh thank God, she thought to herself as the man was yanked roughly away from her. But her joy was short-lived because the next thing she heard was a loud bang and a searing pain ripped through her gut. _Not again_!

Clark saw the Mayor slide to the floor, blood oozing from the wound in her abdomen. Her attacker had taken off at a run fast enough to make Clark wonder if he had super speed, and he had two choices, he could save the mayor, or he could catch the criminal. There was no option. Slowly he kneeled down and tucked her safely into his arms, then stood up and prepared to leave. He paused as she opened her eyes, and frowned at him.

"You."

His eyes widened as he realised that she could see his face. But it was too late to do anything about it now. He gave her a sheepish smile and nodded and then was surprised when she put a hand to his face.

"It's nice to finally be able to put a face to the name. Thank you." Then she blacked out. He sped out of the room, out onto the street and then to the hospital as fast as he could go.

~~~~~

Clark stepped into his apartment in the early hours of the following morning feeling a little tired. He'd stayed with the Mayor most of the evening until her husband had shown up. Patrice Dawson was indeed a lucky woman, if the bullet had hit just an inch to the left, she would've died. She had thanked him for saving her, and said that she wouldn't tell anyone that she knew his identity, and he hoped that he could trust her.  
But he no longer had a choice in that matter anyway.

After leaving the hospital, he'd scouted around for the man who'd shot her, but there had been no sign and by the time that daylight was starting to creep into the edges of the blackened skyline, he knew it was time to give up.

With a weary sigh, he took off his jacket and headed to his bedroom, figuring he might as well at least try to sleep for the three hours before he had to be at work. Before he reached his room, he paused at Lois' door. It was open just a little bit, enough for him to peek in and see that she was fast asleep, lying on her side with a body pillow beneath her.

As he leaned against the doorframe, just watching her sleep, the events from earlier that day seeped back into his mind and a small smile graced his face. She still loved him. She'd said it twice now. But her words also came back to him as well. She didn't want to get back together no matter what she felt for him. Had he damaged their relationship that much?

He didn't want to believe it, but maybe he had. For now he would just have to be content with living with her, as friends and nothing more. Besides, they had a baby to think of. Hopefully once he arrived, things would get easier.

On impulse, Clark opened the door silently and walked over to her bed. Kneeling down next to her, he covered her bare shoulder with the sheet and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She stirred a little, but didn't wake. He kissed her stomach lightly.

"Night little man, be good for your mom okay, she needs her rest. I can't wait to meet you, you are going to be so loved. And I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are safe. I love you little guy." he whispered. As he raised his head, he noticed Lois' eyes were now open and she was staring at him with a half smile.

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you."

Then her smile faded. "You left earlier."

Her sleepy voice sounded so sexy, causing a reaction in him that he knew he should deny, but couldn't. "I had a call. I'll tell you about it in the morning. Go back to sleep."

She nodded as her eyes drifted shut again and he stood up, took one more lingering look at her, then left. As he settled down into his own bed, all he could think about was Lois and how much he just wanted to crawl into bed next to her, hold her in his arms until he fell asleep with the sound of her heartbeat in his ears. Well, at least he still had that, he thought, smiling as he listened to the steady thumps of two heartbeats, one faster and lighter sounding than the other. But both equally as precious to him.

-

The following morning was fairly busy, though Lois wasn't actually allowed to do much. Since she'd been having constant back pains ever since she woke up, Clark had told her to take it easy, and Martha had relegated her to the sofa while she and Chloe got on with the task of decorating the apartment for Clark's surprise birthday party.

Jonathan was finishing up some chores at the farm and Clark was at work. Oliver was nowhere to be seen and Fletch wasn't coming round until later. Since both she and Chloe no longer lived at the Talon, she had let Fletch take over the remainder of the lease. Which was only about a month and he needed somewhere to stay until he got his head sorted. He was a mess right now, and she felt bad because she didn't know how to help him.

After getting off the phone with the Mayor, she walked into the kitchen.

"Who was on the phone?" Chloe asked, glancing at her as she helped Martha take the food out of the containers.

"Mayor Dawson. She's okay, Clark got there just in time. She saw her attacker, it was the same guy who'd tried to mug me. And probably the same guy who got you too."

Chloe winced at the memory. "So is he in jail?"

"No, the police have put out an APB on him but they haven't been able to find him yet. Which has Clark worried."

Martha glanced worriedly between the two women. "You don't think he'd come after either one of you again, do you?"

"Nah, I think with Oliver and Clark around, we're safe as houses." Chloe said with a chuckle that Lois knew was an attempt to hide her fear.

"They'll find him, and if they don't, Clark will." Lois didn't miss the look that Chloe and Martha shared, so she rolled her eyes and headed back into the living room.

She had no idea what to do now, and junior wasn't showing any signs of letting up on her ribcage anytime soon. She settled down and watched some TV but couldn't focus on it, tried reading a book but couldn't get into it. Eventually she decided that some fresh air might help, so she got off the sofa and almost immediately there were two pairs of eyes staring at her from the doorway.

"What? I'm just going to get some air."

The two women narrowed their eyes for a moment, then nodded and went back into the kitchen. Lois loved that they were taking such good care of her, but honestly, she felt like screaming. She'd been cooped up in this apartment for far too long that it felt like she'd lost touch with the real world.

An idea struck her as she walked over to the balcony doors. Peering around the corner, she checked to see if both Martha and Chloe were still in the kitchen, then she grabbed her jacket and walked out of the door.

~~~~~

"Dad?" Clark called out as he walked into the barn. It was almost lunchtime and he wanted to go home and check on Lois, but his mom and Chloe had forbidden him, saying that they were taking good care of her and he needn't worry.

That didn't stop him though, he was on constant guard now around her, because he knew it could be any day now that the baby would come. As excited as he was, he was also very nervous. He didn't know how the birth would affect Lois, or if she would be okay and it scared him. Scared him so much he'd even been reading up on childbirth, which was…not pleasant to say the least.

"Yeah son, what is it?" Jonathan said as he came up behind him carrying a bale of hay. Clark took it and threw it onto the pile with the others as if it weighed no more than a feather.

"Need a hand with anything?" Clark asked and Jonathan laughed as he took off his gloves.

"The women kicked you out huh?"

"Yeah, they think I don't know. It's sweet."

"Just remember to act surprised, your mother put a lot of work into it. Though I am surprised she thought we could keep it a secret from you."

Clark chuckled. "Yeah."

Jonathan paused and looked at his son. "Something bothering you son?"

"No, not really. I'm just worried about Lois."

Jonathan sat down on one of the bales of hay and waited for Clark to sit too before speaking. "What exactly is it that's worrying you?"

"What do you mean?" Clark asked, receiving a 'you know what I mean' look from his father. He always knew when something deeper was bothering him. So he took a deep breath and started. "It's just…we had this…moment yesterday."

"What kind of moment?" Jonathan asked warily and Clark had to smile. His dad may have been okay with the fact that Clark and Lois had moved in together, but considering the fact that they were having a baby together, Clark thought he would at least let go of some of his old fashioned ways. But he guessed they were so engrained in him that nothing would remove them.

"I came home yesterday and Oliver and Lois were standing at the door talking. I don't know what he said but she got pretty angry at him, and said that she and I were never ever going to happen again…" He trailed off at the memory, it still had the power to sting.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it."

"I wish I could believe that dad, but I hurt her so badly. I know that she's forgiven me, she's moved on from that and she doesn't hold grudges. But Lois doesn't let herself trust easily, and I broke that trust in the worst way possible. I don't think I can ever get her back."

Clark felt his father's hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Clark, sometimes a person builds walls not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down."

"But I do care dad. I love her so much, she's the mother of my son, she's my best friend, she's my…" He stopped and sighed. "She's my everything. I'm just so confused. She tells me that nothing will ever happen between us, yet she's told me twice now that she still loves me."

"Clark can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"In all the time since she's been back, have you ever told her how you feel? Have you told her that you love her?"

"Of course I…wait…I think I have…"

Jonathan clapped him on the shoulder. "Son, has it ever crossed your mind that maybe, with everything that's going on for her right now, she might need to hear that? That she might need that confirmation."

"I…" Clark paused, because he knew his father was right. "I guess I didn't tell her because I was afraid it would scare her away again. I didn't want to push her, but she has to know how I feel about her. Surely."

"She probably isn't sure of anything right now son. She just needs some reassurance." Jonathan stood up and started brushing the hay off himself.

"Do you think I'll ever get her back dad? The way we used to be?" Clark asked, nervously.

Jonathan stopped and smiled. "Clark, if two people are meant for each other, which you and Lois are, it doesn't mean they have to be together right now, but they will be eventually. I almost lost your mother once."

"Really?" Now that was a shock to Clark. He'd always assumed his parents had the perfect marriage.

"She left me for a little while, a long time ago. Because I was stubborn and pigheaded. But you know what? It didn't matter, because your mother and I were meant to be, and we're still together all these years later. So take it from me, Lois will come around, she just needs to know that she's the one you want Clark."

Clark nodded, taking his dad's words to heart. How did he not see this? He'd really thought that by not telling her, he wasn't pushing her or pressuring her. But maybe by not telling her, he'd made things worse. "Thanks dad, I don't know what I'd ever do without you and mom."

As father and son hugged, Clark hoped that one day he would have this kind of relationship with his own son.

"Clark," Jonathan said, looking him in the eye and smiling. "Go find her. Tell her."

~~~~~

Lois opened her window as she drove down the country roads of Smallville, taking in the fresh air. It was a beautiful sunny day, she had Whitesnake blaring out of the speakers and she felt better than she had in weeks. After calling to tell Martha and Chloe that she had decided to go for a walk, which she received an ear full for, she'd made a snap decision to go and visit Fletch to see if he was okay.

But as she turned into a road that would bring her close to the patch of woods surrounding Smallville, she felt an strange sensation in the pit of her stomach. Then a screeching sound so loud hit her and made her grab the steering wheel with both hands to stop the car from going off the road. As she came to a halt, she noticed a light in the distance to her right. The caves.

As she got out of the car and walked towards it, the screeching stopped, making her a little disoriented for a moment. But something was pulling her towards it, curiosity maybe? She'd only ever come here with Clark before and in all those times, she'd never really looked at the caves, just at the table that somehow transported them to the Fortress.

She kept walking, taking care to avoid any branches and twigs that could trip her, and eventually she reached the entrance. Walking inside, she was amazed that she hadn't noticed the paintings on the walls before, they were really quite beautiful. She smiled, rubbing her hand over her stomach lovingly.

"Your father is a very…special man, little guy. He's going to teach you so much, about everything. I can't wait for you to learn it all."

She walked a little further into the caves, to the hole in the wall where Clark had taken her before and stopped at the round stone table. The etchings on it were the same as on the walls, and no less beautiful to look at.

As she reached out to touch one, a bright light appeared, growing stronger until it was glowing all around her and then she felt dizzy, as if she were in the air and falling fast. When she opened her eyes, they went wide.

She was standing in the Fortress…alone.

~~~~~

"Something wrong Clark?" Clark's head snapped up as Cat perched herself on the corner of his desk.

"No, nothing's wrong."

"Then why does your face look like you just lost your puppy?" she giggled.

Clark sighed, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with Cat right now. Lois wasn't answering her phone and he was getting worried. "It's nothing. Look I have to go,"

"Again? Clark if you keep taking off how are we ever going to get this article on the Mayor's latest attack finished?"

"Finish it without me. You can put your name on the byline." he said as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"Fine, I will."

He didn't have time to worry about her short reply or her sarcastic retort that Lois must be calling him away again, as he raced up the stairs and sped over to his apartment.

As he burst in the door, his mother and Chloe both jumped. "Clark, you're not allowed in here!" Chloe yelled.

"Where's Lois?" he asked, not even taking in the decorations.

Martha frowned. "She went for a walk, why?"

"By herself?"

"Clark, she's a grown woman, I think she just needed to get out of this apartment. She's been cooped up in here for over a week."

"She's not answering her phone, and I'm worried. Where did she say she was going?"

"Just out for a walk. She can't have gotten that far." Then she frowned as she looked at her watch. "But that was a while ago now. We've been so busy in here that we didn't notice."

His mother suddenly looked worried, and guilty and he didn't want her to feel like that. He smiled briefly and said. "It's okay Mom, I'll find her."

"I'm sure she's okay sweetheart, she just probably wanted some private time."

Clark dialled her number again, but he didn't put the phone to his ear. He tilted his head and listened hard. "I hear her phone."

Then just as Martha opened her mouth to talk, there was a gust of wind and he was gone.

~~~~~

"Jor-El!" Lois yelled, wondering how on earth she'd gotten here. "Jor-El answer me. Why am I here?"

"Hello Lois." he answered. "I brought you here because I wish to share something with you."

"Share something? Like what?"

"You are the mother of my son's child. The heir to the House of El. It is important that you know of Kal-El's life, both on Krypton and here."

Lois shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself. "_This_ is his home."

"Yes, but in order to fully understand him, it is my wish for you to see what our planet was like."

Lois frowned. "Okay, but do you think you could turn the heating up in here? I'm freezing and I wasn't exactly dressed for a trip to the Arctic today."

"Of course." he replied and then as if from out of nowhere, a crystal chamber appeared out of the floor. As part of it opened out, Lois was unsure of whether or not she should actually go in there.

"Um, not to sound ungrateful or anything but…"

"I assure you Lois, you will never come to any harm in this place. Step inside the chamber and you shall learn everything you wish to know about Kal-El."

She hesitated for a few moments, but when the cold began to get too much for her, she stepped inside. She jumped a little as the door closed her in, but when the warmth spread all over her, she no longer cared. She touched the icy clear crystal wall in front of her, marvelling at how something so cold could be so warm.

As another light began to glow around her, her first thought was that she should really invest in a pair of sunglasses if this was to keep happening. And then all thoughts flew out of her head as images started to appear in the walls around her, images of a life she had known nothing about.

~~~~~

Clark ran as fast as he could towards the sound of Lois' phone. He was getting scared, there was no way she wouldn't pick it up if she knew he was calling. She knew how worried he got from the last time she hadn't answered.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed her car sitting at the side of the road, but she wasn't in it. Panicking, he called her phone again and followed it to the Kawatche caves. It was lying on the floor in front of the stone table.

"Lois?" he called out, but received no answer. If she'd come in here, she would hear him now. And she hadn't left without her phone or car, so that left only one place to look. The Fortress.

He took off at a run that pushed even him to his limits and soon enough he saw the spikes of the icy castle in the distance. But what he saw when he went inside made him freeze. Lois was standing inside one of the chambers, completely still. The only movement was from her eyes and she hadn't seen him, she was looking at something.

"Jor-El! What are you doing to her?" he yelled angrily. "Let her go, now!"

"She is safe, my son."

"I don't care, let her out of there."

"It is almost complete Kal-El, do not rush this." his father's voice said, and Clark was sure he heard a hint of annoyance in it.

Instead of waiting, Clark took matters into his own hands and crossed over to the table of crystals. He pulled one out and waited for the door to open, but nothing happened.

"Jor-El please, I need to know what you're doing to her."

"It is done." Was all he replied, and then there was a light hissing noise as the door to the chamber opened. Clark rushed forward and, ignoring her look of surprise as she saw him, quickly drew her in for a hug.

"Are you okay?"

"Clark, what are you doing here?"

"I was worried, you didn't answer your phone, you weren't at the apartment. I got scared."

She pulled back and looked up at him. "I'm okay, you don't need to worry about me."

"I thought something had happened, when I couldn't find you my mind started coming up with all sorts of scenarios. Please don't ever do that to me again."

Something in his expression must've warned her not to joke because her smile fell and she cupped his cheek with her hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, I promise not to get pulled into your Fortress against my will ever again."

Clark allowed himself to relax and smile. "Thank you. What was that all about anyway?"

"Oh, your father wanted me to learn something." she replied, pulling away from him slightly. He noticed this, and stepped forward again, closing the gap between them.

"Lois, I need to tell you something."

He watched as she swallowed nervously, did his presence affect her? Or was she nervous about what he was going to say?

"Jor-El wanted me to learn what your life was like. I saw it Clark, Krypton. It was beautiful."

_She's changing the subject, you should drop it_, he thought to himself. She obviously didn't want to hear it. _No, she needs to hear this_.

"Lois, I love you."

Her rambling stopped as her eyes flew up and locked on his, hers wide and shocked, his narrowed and nervous. "Wh…what?"

He ran a shaky hand through his hair and stepped back away from her, pacing around.

"I realised something today when I was talking to my dad. You've told me twice now that you still love me, and I couldn't figure out why you were still holding yourself back from me. I mean, I know our history, but you said it was in the past. I was afraid that you weren't letting it go." He stopped and looked her straight in the eye. "I never wanted to pressure you, or make you feel uncomfortable, that's why I didn't say anything before, but I should've said it."

"Clark…"

"No Lois you don't understand," he said, surging forward to grab her hands in his. "I am _so_ in love with you. I never stopped. When you were gone, I lost part of myself, and then when you came back, even though you were angry with me, it was like I was whole again. But not completely. I miss you Lois. I miss us."

Silence stretched out between them for a few agonising minutes, and when he saw her face scrunch up, he grew even more afraid. Had he said too much?

"Clark…"

"Lois, please just tell me that I haven't lost you forever."

"I don't know Clark. I do love you…but this is not the time."

"When will it ever be the time? I feel like we're going around in circles Lois. We kiss, you tell me you love me, then we go right back to square one again. I don't need you to say anything else, but I can't handle the thought of never being with you again."

"It's not that…"

"Then what is it?"

She looked up at him, and suddenly he could see the pain in her eyes. "Lois what's wrong?"

She grabbed his forearms in a tight grip. "My water just broke."

_To Be Continued..._


	43. Chapter 42

_**Chapter Forty Two**_

The sound of glass shattering against the wall would've warned anyone in Anthony Romano's office not to come running in. He paced around like a wild caged tiger and he was absolutely furious. That stupid low-life! How could Ethan have been so…idiotic? He should've left him in prison to rot, but he'd needed him and his past had made it easy to control him.

Now the police were looking for him, interviewing Romano himself since he was the one to have posted Ethan's bail and Romano had had to think fast to avoid any suspicion being thrown onto him. Not to mention the fact that the Mayor was still alive.

The Blur had rescued her…again.

He was becoming a real pain in Romano's side and it was time to step up the game a little. Another anti-Blur rally was in order, he thought to himself. Because this city was starting to accept the Blur a little too much for Romano's liking. He needed to put the fear of the unknown back into people, make them realise that this Blur was not here to be helpful, though the evidence may suggest otherwise.

He had to make sure that they weren't forgetting that the Blur was an alien, one who could have a secret agenda. And no one, not one person knew who he was. The only person Romano had ever seen have any contact with the Blur, was Lois Lane. But she was so preoccupied with Clark and their baby, he doubted she even had time to contact him anymore.

There just had to be someone else, Romano could not accept that in a city this big, someone wouldn't have seen his face. It just wasn't possible. There was one person he could try talking to, but it would take a lot of work. Still, he thought as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, she would have no choice but to talk to him.

The Mayor had been saved by the Blur last night, she had to have at least something to share about him. And at this point, Romano would take anything he could get.

~~~~~

"We have to go Lois, now." Clark said, holding out his arms for her to step closer to him.

She shook her head and squeezed his hand in a vice-like grip as a contraction hit her hard. Clark was panicking, they were getting worse and closer together too. As it started to pass, Lois looked up at him, a wild, scared look in her eyes that he hated seeing but could do nothing to help ease, and then she screamed out again as another one hit.

"My son, there is no time to get Lois to a hospital."

"What are you talking about?" Clark yelled, holding Lois up as she began to sag against him.

"The baby is coming Kal-El, he will be born within minutes. You do not have the time to safely transport Lois to a hospital."

"I am not…giving…" Lois spoke in between panting. "Birth…in here…Jor-El. Forget…it!"

"Lois…" Jor-El started but Lois cut him off.

"Can it, okay? I will not give birth to my baby on Eskimo island!" She turned to face Clark. "I need a hospital Clark, I need drugs, I need Emil."

"Ssh, it's okay." he replied, cupping her cheek. "It's okay, I'm going to get you there."

He lifted her into his arms and walked over to the control panel because he didn't feel safe running with Lois like this, she was crying out and grabbing onto him as another contraction hit. They were way too close together for his liking.

As he was about to place the crystal in the slot to take them back to the caves, Lois yelled out.

"Stop Clark, wait! We don't…we don't have time."

"What? Come on Lois, it'll only take minutes to get there."

She looked up at him, her face contorted in agony. "We don't have minutes Clark, he's coming now!"

~~~~~

Romano paced outside Mayor Dawson's room, waiting to be allowed in. Her security had gone in to ask if she was up to visitors and Romano was barely keeping it together. He needed something concrete, something with which to nail the Blur.

After what seemed like hours, Patrice's burly bodyguard stepped out of the room.

"Mayor Dawson will see you now, but please do not upset her. She's had a traumatic experience."

The cold eyes of the bodyguard settled on Romano and for a second, he wondered if he thought that Romano had something to do with the Mayor's attack. He shrugged the feeling off, there was no way he could know. Nobody could. Stepping past him, Romano opened the door and closed it behind him. The Mayor was sitting upright, but she was clearly in pain.

"Anthony." she said, her tone impatient. "What brings you here?"

"I heard about your attack and I wanted to see for myself that you were okay." he replied, taking the seat next to her bed.

"Well as you can see I'm perfectly alright. Was that all?"

Romano, slightly taken aback by her icy attitude, leaned forward. "I want you to know Patrice, that I'm doing everything I can to find your attacker."

She scoffed. "I'm sure you are."

"Do you have any more information that might be able to help us?"

"I told the police everything." she replied shortly and Romano had to grit his teeth to keep his composure. This was going to be harder than he thought.

He smiled. "I'm aware of that Patrice but for my own clarification, I need to know what happened last night."

She sighed wearily and rubbed her forehead. "Fine. I got home, pulled up in my driveway and as I got out of my car a man grabbed me from behind. He shoved a gun into my back and told me not to make a sound and to go into the house. So I did. When we got in there, I hit him, and ran upstairs."

"That wasn't very smart." Romano said before he could stop himself and it earned him a rather serious glare from the Mayor.

"I am aware of that, thank you Anthony. Anyway, I ran upstairs and yelled for help, but he caught me and shoved me against the wall."

"So how did you get out alive?" Romano asked and she stared at him with wide eyes.  
"What I mean is, this guy obviously meant to do you more harm than he actually did. How did you get out and how did he escape?"

"The Blur rescued me."

"The Blur?"

"Yes, the Blur. He came and saved me."

Romano didn't miss the appreciation in her voice. The way one corner of her mouth slanted up into a half smile. Did she honestly believe that this Blur was here to just simply save people. How could she, in her position, believe that an alien wouldn't have ulterior motives when it came to the planet?

"Did you see his face?"

She shook her head. "I was already out by the time he got to me. He turned up but stayed in the shadows and then the man shot me and ran off."

"Why didn't this super blur catch him? If he's so good." This time Romano couldn't keep the loathing out of his voice and he was sure that Patrice had caught it too because her eyebrows flickered in response.

"Because he was a little too busy saving my life."

Romano narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you didn't see his face?"

"Positive. I told you I was already out by the time he got to me."

Romano smiled and nodded, then leaned forward and patted her hand. "Well not to worry Patrice, we will catch this guy. On that you have my word."

He stood up and walked to the door but stopped when she called out to him.  
"Yes?"

"The Blur isn't as bad as you think, you know. If he wanted to hurt us, he's had so many opportunities to do just that. Yet he chooses to save people and use his powers for good."

"You don't find anything wrong with a super powered alien roaming around our planet and we have no clue who he really is?"

She shrugged, which really irritated him. "No, I'm sure he'll come out of the shadows when he's ready. But until that day, we should let him be and let him carry on saving people."

"Indeed." Romano nodded, still smiling so much that it felt frozen on his face. "Get well Patrice, I'll be back when I have more information for you."

Outside the room, Romano paused and smiled to himself. Patrice was lying through her teeth, she knew exactly who the Blur was. If she'd seen his face, that meant that Ethan might have too. He needed to find him and fast. Because one way or another, he would find out for himself.

~~~~~

"Clark, do something! I can't take this!" Lois screamed, grabbing onto him with such power that it would've hurt if he'd been human.

"I don't know what do Lois, what should I do?" he asked in a panicky voice. He had no clue where to even start and Lois was getting worse by the second.

"You're asking me?" she yelled. "You're the one who started this whole thing!"

"My son, you must take Lois to the bed chambers. Make sure that she is comfortable." Jor-El said.

"Wait, there's a bedroom in this place?" Lois asked.

Without thinking, Clark nodded and lifted her gently into his arms. She clutched her stomach painfully and closed her eyes.

"Clark…he's…he's coming." Lois gasped.

"I know Lois, I'm here don't worry. I'm not going to leave you. We can do this, together." he replied softly as he walked to the back of the Fortress.

He kept his voice steady as he murmured to her, but inside he was feeling anything but. He was a nervous wreck. As he reached the back of the Fortress, a wall gave way and opened to reveal a large crystal room with a bed in the centre of it.

It didn't look like an ordinary bed, it looked like a mountain of soft, velvety comfort and when he placed Lois on it, she seemed to almost relax instantly. Her body loosened, and the pain seemed to be lessening. But her contractions were still getting closer together.

"Jor-El, what should I do? I could go and get Emil and bring him here." Suddenly, Lois grabbed his arm.

"No! Don't you dare leave me here alone. Please Clark," She was terrified, he realised.

He crouched down at the side of the bed and smoothed some damp hair away from her forehead.

"I won't leave you Lois. I'm right here, I promise."

She nodded and let go of his arm, going back to concentrating on her breathing.

"Kal-El, the baby is ready to be born." Jor-El said, kicking Clark's nerves and fear up a notch. Because it was now dawning on him that he was going to have to deliver this baby himself. And apart from the books he'd read, he had no idea what he was even doing.

"I can't."

"You must."

"You don't understand, I don't know how to…to deliver a baby."

There was silence for a few moments, until Lois screamed out again and then he was right by her side, holding her hand, helping her breathe until it passed.

"Clark…I can feel….he's ready…" Lois grunted. "I need to push!"

"Jor-El, help me!" Clark yelled out in anger that of all the times for his father to go silent, he chose this one. "Tell me what to do!"

"You already know, my son."

There was a bright flash and a burning sensation in his head, so strong that he pressed his fingers into his temples to try and ease it. And then as soon as it began, it was gone and all that remained were the pained cries of Lois. He looked down at her, and suddenly, everything clicked into place.

"Lois," He leapt into action, grabbing some of the soft bed linen in his hands, and climbed between her knees on the bed. Quickly he peeled off her trousers and covered her with a sheet. "It's okay, I'm here. I know what to do."

"Are you sure?" she asked, locking eyes with him and he could see the sheer fear in her hazel eyes.

He smiled reassuringly, feeling a little more confident. "I'm sure."

She didn't look convinced so Clark leaned forward and caught her chin in his hand. "Hey, it's going to be okay. I love you and I'm not leaving you. You can do this."

She nodded slowly and tried to smile, but another contraction hit, making her breath fast and hard.

"Now I need you to push, okay? One big push."

Rearing up on her elbows, Lois did as Clark asked. She held his hand as she bared down and pushed with everything she had.

Pretty soon Clark could see the head and even though he felt tears stinging his eyes, he refused to let them fall just yet. Lois needed him to stay strong. But the sight of his son, making his way into the world was so overwhelming. "You're doing great sweetie, come on, I need you to give me one last big push."

Lois flopped down onto the bed. She was so exhausted already. "I can't Clark."

"Yes you can. Come on Lois, he's almost here. One more push and we get to meet our son."

Clark's gentle coaxing voice was like a warm soothing balm, one that helped a little. So she got back up on her elbows and pushed with as much force as she could. She couldn't hear anything above the sound of her own scream echoing off the crystal walls, but as she felt the baby come out, she stopped and all she could hear was the sound of his cries and it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard in her life.

"Lois, you did it!" Clark cried, tears streaming down his face as he wrapped the bundle up in the bed linen and placed him on her chest. "Say hello to your mommy little guy."

Lois half laughed, half sobbed as she gazed down at her son. He was crying up a storm, waving his tiny little arms around. She caught one of his hands and gasped in surprise when he gripped her finger tight in his little fist.

Fresh tears poured down her cheeks as a wave of love, so strong, took her breath away. "Hey little man, it's me. It's mommy. Wow, I can't believe you're here. Though you have really awful timing kid."

She looked up at Clark, who was watching them both with tears and adoration in his eyes and she felt her heart melt. She loved this man so much. "Thank you." she whispered.

"Hey you did all the hard work. Thank you Lois. He's so beautiful."

"Come here," she said, pulling his shirt collar to bring him closer and then she planted a kiss right on his lips and Clark responded.

"I love you."

She was shocked to see his eyes glisten even more, as if that had been the last thing he'd expected to hear. "I love you too."

Not wanting to be forgotten, their son let out another wail and Clark grinned down at him. "We should get you two to the hospital so Emil can check you out."

"Yeah," she replied distractedly. As Clark moved away again, she looked up and stopped him. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Happy birthday…Smallville."

_To Be Continued..._


	44. Chapter 43

_**Chapter Forty Three**_

"Everything seems to be fine Clark," Emil said later that day after checking both Lois and the baby over.

"You're absolutely sure? No problems? You know because it was cold and the baby…"

Emil smiled and raised a hand to stop the new father rambling. "Clark, Clark trust me. The baby's healthy, Lois is doing great. You did a great job. It can't have been easy, delivering the baby yourself."

Standing in the hallway at Metropolis General hospital, Clark couldn't tear his eyes away from the window that allowed him a perfect view of his new family. He felt like the grin he was wearing would stay that way forever, he had never been so happy in his life.

"Well it wasn't…at first."

Emil frowned. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know what happened, or how it happened. But I think Jor-El helped."

"How so?"

"I think he gave me the knowledge of what to do."

"What like, a download of some sort?"

Clark nodded. "Sort of. One minute I was panicking because I literally had no idea and the next there was a light and then all of a sudden, I just knew."

Emil shook his head, astounded. "I would really love to know how that works one day Clark, I really would. But right now, I think you should be in there," He nodded his head towards Lois' door. "With your family. I'll be releasing Lois in an hour or so. I just want to make sure the baby's nursing as he should be before I discharge her. And don't worry, any test results are in my safe and can't be accessed by anyone but me."

Clark shook Emil's hand. "Thank you…for everything Emil."

"Oh the pleasure was all mine. Now go."

~~~~~

Lois looked up from her son as the door opened and Clark walked in, holding something in his hands.

"Hey," she said, grinning.

Clark sat on the edge of the bed next to her, leaned in and kissed her. "Hey." Then he looked down at the baby who was currently nursing. "I can't get over how amazing he is."

"I know, it's so weird he's only been here a few hours and already I can't imagine what it was like when he wasn't."

Clark reached out and touched the baby's head, smoothing his fluffy thick black hair down. "He has your nose."

"That's about the only thing he has from me. Everything about this little boy is pure Clark Kent. He's like a mini you."

"Is that a bad thing?" Clark asked with a chuckle.

Lois shrugged and grinned playfully. "I guess he'll grow into his looks one day."

"Funny."

Lois laughed then looked down at Clark's hands. "Is that for him?"

Clark glanced down at the small blue teddy bear in his hands. "Yeah, it was in the gift shop, I spotted it when I was calling my parents. I had to get it."

Lois watched him for a moment and then chuckled. "You're just a big softie. It's so adorable."

"Well I try. I guess now I have to compete for your attention."

Lois' smile fell and Clark cursed himself for saying too much. He didn't want anything to ruin this day. "I'm sorry…"

"No, no it's okay Clark. What you said at the Fortress, you know, before junior decided to interrupt. It made me realise just how badly I've been treating you lately."

"What are you talking about? Lois you haven't…"

"No I need to say this Clark and please listen." She reached out and took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers.

"I love you…so much. I never stopped loving you even when I hated you. When I came back, I was determined to keep you at a safe distance. And for a while that seemed to be working. But then you had to go and be all charming and sweet and then we moved in together. I fought it, for a long time…" she paused for a moment as the baby finished nursing and she turned her attention to him but Clark didn't mind.

He felt as if his entire future lied within the words she was about to say, and his heart started to beat a little faster as she turned and looked at him with loving eyes.

"Throughout this whole pregnancy, you've been there for me. You've taken care of me, and while sometimes I wanted to strangle you for it, I did appreciate it. I know I haven't exactly been easy to deal with, but you never gave up." Clark tightened his fingers around hers.

"I guess I just…after I told you that I still loved you, you didn't say it back. And when I saw you with Cat, stupid as it was, it made me think that maybe I'd pushed you away and you had moved on. I got scared and in return I pushed you away even harder, to protect myself. I understand now why you did what you did. You had to protect us, I get that."

"Oh Lois, I didn't say it back because I was scared of pushing you too soon. I didn't want to lose whatever it was that I had with you. I couldn't risk asking for more than you were willing to give. It wasn't fair to expect that of you. But you have to know that I meant what I said. I will always…always love you." He let go of her hand and cupped her cheek. "You're the one, you always will be."

Lois smiled and her eyes glistened with unshed happy tears. "Clark?"

"Yeah?"

"What exactly happened back there?"

"At the Fortress?"

Lois nodded. "Yeah, one minute you were freaking out, the next you were so confident and sure. What happened?"

"Jor-El helped me. He told me what I needed to do."

"Huh, I guess he helped us both a little today." she murmured, rocking her now sleeping son back and forth.

"What do you mean?"

"He showed me Krypton Clark. Your life there, what little time you spent with your parents before they had to send you away. And your life here, when you met the Kents. All the way up until the moment I met you. That's how I understood why you essentially faked your own death. Your family is the most important thing to you. I also saw how much you were disappointed when you thought you'd never be able to have children of your own."

"I guess we know the answer to that one now huh?" Clark chuckled but inside he was shaking. Hearing this from Lois, he'd never wanted anything so much before and now he was getting it, he didn't know how to deal with it.

"He told me…that you and I…we're…"

"We're what Lois?"

She bit her lip and hesitated, but after she looked into his eyes, she smiled nervously. "We're soul mates."

Clark drew in a sharp breath, his heart almost bursting with joy. "Soul mates?"

Lois nodded. "Yeah. And you know what? I think he might be right. I can't seem to get rid of you."

Clark let out a bark of laughter. "And you're not going to. I'm here for the long haul Lois. Always and…"

"Forever?"

He nodded, brushing his lips lightly across hers. "Forever."

When he pulled back, Lois sighed happily and he noticed her eyes growing heavy.

"Hey, do you want me to take him? You should get some rest."

"He's your son Clark, you don't have to ask."

Carefully she handed him over and Clark tucked him into the crook of his arm, making sure to support his head. He bounced lightly so that the baby continued to sleep, smoothing a finger down his cheek. The tiny 7lbs weight felt like a feather to him, but he was much more precious.

Clark felt an ache in his chest, a love so strong it was a little overwhelming. He wanted everything for his son, he wanted him to have the best start in life. He hoped that he could be a man that his son could look up to, kind of like Jonathan had been for him. He was so tiny, he had the world at his feet, and two parents who loved him with everything they had. Not a bad start after all.

"He's…I don't even know what to say. He's perfect."

Lois grinned at the wonderful sight in front of her. There was nothing more adorable, or sexy for that matter, than seeing a big strong man hold a tiny little life in his arms.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you a birthday gift." she said, and Clark's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I think you had more important things to worry about Lois. It's okay."

She shrugged. "Even so, I think I have a gift in mind."

He sat down on the edge of her bed and smiled down at their son. "I think you already gave me the perfect present. I couldn't imagine anything more."

Lois chuckled sleepily, her eyes drifting shut. "Still, we need to name him."

"Ssh, sleep. We can name him later."

"But…Krypton…Kal-El…" she murmured, right before her eyes closed on more time and finally, she was asleep.

Clark watched her for a moment, unsure what she meant by those words, but as she slipped into a peaceful slumber, he decided it didn't matter. He had everything that was most important to him, right here in this room. And he would die before he ever let anyone hurt them.

~~~~~

"Clark you can put me down now. My legs do actually work you know." Lois chuckled as Clark carried both her and the baby up to their apartment later that evening.

"I know but…just humour me okay? You just gave birth and I want to spoil you."

She gave him a stern look but shook her head and let him continue. As they got to their door, he carefully placed her on the floor and took the baby from her.

"You ready for this?" he asked, winking. "They're excited."

"I still don't know how you kept them from coming to the hospital."

"There didn't seem to be much point since you were about to get released anyway…and I think that my mom wants the party to go ahead."

Lois' mouth fell open. "You knew?"

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, it's kinda hard not to know."

"Do you know how hard we worked…?" She paused and shook her head. "You know what? Never mind, it doesn't matter. Come on, let's introduce our son to his family."

Clark smiled and moved to open the door, but she grabbed his hand.

"Wait! We need to talk first before we go in there."

"About?"

"His name." Lois sighed tiredly and sat down on the small window seat at the end of the hall. Clark stood in front of her, rocking back and forth to keep the baby asleep.

"When Jor-El showed me your life, he also showed me what it meant to be a Kryptonian. The heritage that our son will grow up to inherit. And the name El should be in there somewhere. Now obviously I'm not suggesting we call him anything like Jor-El or anything because…well, the kids at school would have a field day. But I was thinking, and you don't have to agree but…I think it's fitting. How about the name…Kaleb?"

"Kaleb?"

She nodded. "With a K. Its kind of like Kal-El, and it's a nice name. You don't have to like and it and we can probably come up with something else but I just thought that this would be a nice…" She looked up at him with a grimace. "I'm rambling aren't I?"

"Just a little." He chuckled and sat down next to her. "Lois, I love it, I couldn't ask for anything more. You've already given me a wonderful gift, you don't have to do this as well."

"I want to." she replied, cupping his cheek. "Because I love you."

Clark leaned in and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. "I love you too." he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "We should probably go in. They're waiting to meet Kaleb."

Lois nodded and smiled, taking his hand as they stood, and walked into their home.

"Clark, Lois!" Martha yelled, running over to them. The whole family was there, Jonathan, Martha, Chloe, Oliver and even Fletch. Then her eyes landed on the sleeping newborn in his father's arms and she clamped a hand over her mouth. But Clark could see the tears forming already.

"Mom, he's here." Clark whispered.

Martha stared into her son's eyes, seeing the raw, sheer happiness in them and she had never felt anything so good in her life. This had been what he'd always wanted, and now he had it. She glanced over at Lois, who was standing beside Clark, looking rather exhausted but her face was just…glowing. Simply radiating happiness from every pore.

"Everyone, we would like to introduce you to…" Clark paused and glanced sideways at Lois, who winked back at him. "This is Kaleb."

"Kaleb Joseph Kent." Lois added, squeezing Clark's hand hard to stop him from commenting.

"Lois…"

"Do you like it?"

"I love it but…"

"Then that's his name. It's perfect."

Martha leaned back into the embrace of her husband, both of them knew the significance of the name, as did Chloe and Oliver. And it was a perfect name. "He's so beautiful. Congratulations you two."

"Thanks Mom. Do you want to hold him?" Clark offered, then chuckled as his mother took him in the blink of an eye.

"Well Lois…" Jonathan said as he walked up beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Guess you didn't have to worry about getting him a birthday gift after all." he chuckled. Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You've given him everything he needed and ever wanted. For that I am very grateful."

She smiled up at him, knowing that his words went beyond the simple fact that she had just had Clark's baby. "Thanks Mr Kent."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes feeling heavy again, but she refused to let them close. The sight before her made her feel like she was on cloud nine. Clark standing next to his mother, with Chloe and Oliver standing by all going gaga over the newest addition to the Kent family.

Then Clark raised his head, and his eyes caught hers, and Lois knew that everything that led them to this moment no longer mattered. All that mattered now was their family, the three of them…together.

_To Be Continued..._


	45. Chapter 44

_**Chapter Forty Four**_

Lois' eyes drifted open slowly to the sounds of splashing water and Clark's deep voice coming from the living room. She rolled over onto her back, wincing at the ache and praying that part would be over soon. But as she lay there, staring at the ceiling, she smiled.

Last night, from what she could remember of it before she'd crashed, had been amazing. It had been the first time in a very long time that she had felt part of a real family. Having Clark's parents there, seeing the love they had already for the grandson they hadn't known they could have, it had been almost too much. But it hadn't been until Martha had pulled her aside, and told her that she was the daughter she'd always wanted, that Lois had lost it.

It had been a fantastic evening. And she couldn't recall a single time that she'd seen Clark smile so much. It hadn't faded once. Not even when he'd been called away to rescue someone. He'd walked back in the door and his eyes had immediately fallen on Lois and their son. She felt like such an idiot for keeping her distance from him for so long. So much pain, and hurt. For everyone involved. But it didn't matter anymore.

She couldn't even remember falling asleep, but she guessed Clark must've put her to bed. Each time she'd woken up to feed Kaleb, Clark had gotten up and sat with them, and she loved that. It made it all the more…special. She rubbed her tummy gently, only slightly missing the feeling of her baby growing inside her. She'd carried him for so long, nurtured him, cared for him, and now he was here, in their lives. And she had never loved anyone so much in her life before.

It was a scary thought, becoming a mother, wondering if she was going to screw up somehow, but as she listened to the sounds coming from the living room, she knew she had back up. They would be fine. The three of them. They would be happy here.

Deciding she should probably get up and feed her son, Lois threw her legs over the side of the bed and slipped on a robe. She refused to even check her reflection as she passed the mirror, knowing that what she would see would not be a pretty sight.

As she reached the living room, she paused in the doorway, taking in the scene before her. Clark was sitting on the floor, with a plastic baby bath in front of him, and he was grinning from ear to ear as he washed his newborn baby. She felt her heart melt a little more, if that was even possible, as he carefully and so gently, lifted him out of the bath and onto a waiting towel. He talked to him as he was drying him, making soothing sounds and little Kaleb was quite content to stare up at his father with curious eyes that were the same colour as his.

"Stalking is wrong you know." Clark said, without even turning his head. She should've known she couldn't sneak up on him.

Glancing around the room, Lois couldn't help but notice how tidy it was. "Your mom cleaned up before she went home didn't she?"

Clark chuckled. "Yep, did you honestly think she would be able to just leave it? Not my mom."

She walked into the room and sat down carefully on the floor next to them. She rested her head on Clark's shoulder as she held Kaleb's hand and she felt him press a kiss on her hair.

"This is real, isn't it Clark?" she asked in a quiet voice, glancing up at him. He took a moment to lower his head and capture her mouth in a loving kiss. Then pulled back and nodded.

"Yeah, it's real Lois."

"I just keep expecting to wake up and find out that this is all a wonderful dream. I mean things like this don't happen to me."

Wrapping the towel around Kaleb, Clark lifted him up and put him in Lois' arms. "Why not? You deserve this. Especially after the last year. We all went through a lot, but this little boy is all that matters now. He's our fresh start."

"Wrong." she said, looking into his eyes. "He's not _all_ that matters. You and I matter too."

Clark swallowed hard and she wondered for a moment if he'd thought that she might've changed her mind. "I love you…Smallville."

His eyes closed for a second as he smiled. "I haven't heard that name for a long time."

"I know and I'm sorry about that. I just didn't…I didn't want to call you that because it hurt too much to be reminded of how close we were."

Clark kissed her forehead. "It's okay, I understand Lois."

"So are we…?" she hesitated and turned her head away.

"Are we what?"

She took in a deep breath and looked at him. "Are we back together?"

"Lois, in my heart we were never apart."

She rolled her eyes, as a defence mechanism or because she thought he was soppy, he couldn't tell. "Sap." she said, giving him his answer. "But thank you, you never gave up on me. On us."

"How could I? You're the most important thing in my life." He noticed her slight wince as she moved. "Can I get you anything?"

"No I'm good." She stroked her finger down Kaleb's cheek. Then she looked at him and he could see that she wanted to say something, but it looked like she wasn't sure how.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, I just…well…I wasn't sure if I'd scared you away by pushing you so hard. Now that we're back together, I…never mind."

"No, tell me. Please."

She sighed looking completely uncomfortable. "I just don't know how to…be with you again. Does that make sense?"

"Uh, not really. Lois, we love each other, that's all that matters. Isn't it?" She was making him nervous, he didn't know how to feel about this subject. She wasn't regretting getting back together with him, was she?

"Of course but…well, when we first got together, everything was easy and simple. Now that I've just given birth I don't know things will be between us."

He frowned and she sighed in exasperation. "What I mean is…the physical side of our relationship."

"Oh…" Finally he understood. Well he thought he did anyway, and the look on her face was killing him. Did she not know how much he wanted her? "Lois, you have nothing to worry about."

"I don't look the same as I did when we first got together Clark. I don't feel the same."

He took one of her hands. "Lois, you have no idea how much I want you, how much it takes to wait to be with you again. I've always wanted you and I always will. And yes, you have changed in the last few months…" Just as her face fell, he cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes. "But honestly I don't remember you being as sexy and as beautiful as you are right now."

"Oh…" The cutest smile he'd ever seen on her appeared, and then it grew into a full blown grin. "So we're still…?"

He kissed her on the lips, a slow, sweet, tender kiss that quickly morphed into something else. Something much more passionate and by the time he pulled away, both their pulses were racing. Then he smiled. "Does that answer your question?"

She nodded, biting her lower lip and Clark's eyes were immediately drawn to the action. He was reminded of everything he'd missed out on with her, every little thing they could've been sharing together and he felt a stirring in the pit of his stomach. An ache that signified his need for her. But he would have to wait. He didn't want to rush her, plus she'd only just given birth to his baby. He was more than happy to wait, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be hard.

She glared at him mockingly. "You know this is your fault."

"What? How?"

"If you didn't keep reminding me of what I was missing by parading around here shirtless, I would've been fine."

"I can't walk around my own home without a shirt?" he asked, chuckling at the gorgeous blush that was working its way up her cheeks. Lois rarely ever blushed, usually it was her making him do that but he found it adorable and all kinds of sexy.

"Besides, you're welcome to do the same. I won't mind in the slightest."

Lois actually gasped. "Clark Kent, what happened to my naïve farm boy?"

"Oh he's still in here. You just bring out the best in me."

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing." she chuckled. Their heads were about an inch apart and it took all Clark had in him to stop himself from kissing the life out of her right then and there. But when their son cried out his displeasure at being ignored, Clark was grateful for the interruption.

Lois went about getting Kaleb dressed, while Clark got up to make her some breakfast.

"What would you like?" he shouted through from the kitchen.

"Anything's fine, I'm not that hungry." she replied, carrying a freshly dressed Kaleb through with her to sit at the kitchen table. "Now Kaleb, watch and learn because your daddy is the only way you're going to get anything decent to eat around here."

She heard Clark chuckle but he wisely decided not to say anything.

"I guess you won't be inheriting your cooking skills from me,"

Clark paused and turned around to smile at her. "What?" she asked.

He shook his head. "This. It's…all I ever wanted. I love hearing you talk to him, I love hearing you say I'm his daddy. It's silly but I just love it."

Lois frowned and smiled at Kaleb. "Well you are his daddy. Right Kaleb?" Kaleb stared up at Lois with wide eyes, as if he were listening to every word she said. "Ooh that reminds me…do you think he's going to…?"

"Going to what?"

"You know…be of the _super_ variety?"

"Oh. I don't know actually. I mean I was technically three years old by the time I arrived on Earth and my powers took years to fully develop. And he's half human so…I think we should be okay."

"Okay." Lois nodded.

"Would it bother you? If he did get my powers?"

Lois glanced over to see a worried expression on his face, as if he were scared that she wouldn't accept it or something. Which was, of course, outrageous. "Honestly? No. It would scare me a little, but no. We can't spend every second worrying about that Smallville, we'll only end up driving him crazy. Besides, it might be kinda cool in a way."

Clark breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the stove. "Well we can always take him to see Jor-El. Maybe he will have some answers."

"Maybe." Lois got up and placed a sleepy Kaleb in his bassinet, then walked over to where Clark was cooking their breakfast, but before she could say anything, the phone started ringing. She picked up the kitchen handset. "Hello?"

"Lois? It's Patrice Dawson."

"Oh hey Patrice, how are you feeling? I heard what happened to you, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, if it wasn't for your lovely man I would be dead right now."

Lois' gaze darted to Clark and she knew from the wince on his face that he had been listening in. And he knew he was in trouble. "I see, well Clark's good at that kinda thing. Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm feeling good actually, they're releasing me today. My security is on alert. But I was calling to extend my congratulations to the both of you. I hear you had a productive day yesterday."

"You could say that." Lois chuckled, but her eyes remained glued to Clark's. "But thank you, that means a lot."

"I just want you to be reassured about something Lois. I got a visit from Anthony Romano yesterday, he was asking a lot of questions."

Instantly on alert, Lois gripped the phone tighter. "Questions about what?"

"About the Blur. He knows I know something, but I think I convinced him that I don't know who he is. I just wanted to reassure both you and Clark that his secret is safe with me. He has no need to fear that I will tell anybody. This city owes him their gratitude for what he does. But I need him to also understand that the people need more answers. An article in the Daily Planet isn't going to help for long."

"I understand. Thank you, I feel better knowing that you won't tell anyone about this."

The Mayor sounded very serious. "Clark can't do what he needs to do, if people know his identity. And after he saved my life, I am very aware of how much we all need him. But I've taken up enough of your time Lois, enjoy your time with your new son. It's a wonderful experience."

"Thank you, I will."

Clark watched as Lois slowly placed the phone back in its holder, then turned to face him. This was not going to be pleasant and a part of him was scared that she would be so angry at him keeping yet another secret from her.

"So that was the Mayor, as I know you know." she said softly, almost like she was waiting to pounce. "She wanted to congratulate us on the birth of our son."

"Oh, that's nice of her…"

"Yeah, she also wanted to reassure me that she's not going to out you to the public. Or to Romano."

"Oh…"

She smacked him on the shoulder. "Yeah, oh! Clark how could you not tell me that she knows you're the Blur?"

"I'm sorry Lois, I was going to tell you but I got a little distracted if you recall."

"That's not the point! How could you not tell me something as important as the father of my child having his identity discovered. What would you have done if she'd freaked out and told everyone?"

Slightly offended, Clark bristled. "She saw my face, I had no way of hiding from her. I couldn't not save her life because of the risk of her telling people Lois. That's not who I am."

Her demeanour softened a little as she looked at him. "I know that Clark, and I wasn't suggesting that you should. But just…please be a little more careful in future huh? Romano is still sniffing around, I don't want him getting too close." Then in a quiet voice, she murmured. "I can't lose you again."

Clark put the spatula down on the counter and gathered her in his arms, smiling when she leaned her head on his chest. "Lois, I would never do anything to risk what we have. We're a family now, and I will never let anything happen to you or Kaleb."

"Promise?"

He waited for her to look at him, when she did, he put both hands on either side of her face and kissed her softly. "I promise."

Lois nodded, relieved for now. "She is right though."

"Who?"

"Mayor Dawson. Someday soon Clark, you're gonna have to step out and give the people what I know you can give them."

"And what's that?" he asked, concerned with how exactly he would do that.

Her eyes shined as she smiled, making him feel as if he could do anything right now.

"Hope."

_To Be Continued..._


	46. Chapter 45

_**Chapter Forty Five**_

Two weeks later, Clark was sitting at his desk in the Daily Planet, staring at an image on his computer screen and wishing that he were at home right now. Every part of him ached to be with Lois and his baby. Having just spent the last two weeks with them, he never wanted to leave.

But this had to be done at some point, he realised. His first day back to work had been uneventful and boring, but the video call he'd just received from Lois brightened his day. He grinned as Lois held Kaleb up to the webcam.

"Wave hi to daddy Kaleb, he's at work."

Clark touched the screen where his son's head was. It was crazy to be missing them this much, he'd only seen them that morning. He shook his head, knowing that he needed to snap out of this. It wouldn't do him any good in the long run and besides, it was only another four hours before he would see them again.

Clearing his throat, Clark smiled. "How are you two doing?"

Lois winked. "Oh we're managing fine, your son however, does not want to take his bath."

"Really? He loves his bath usually."

"Well that's probably because it's always you that gives him it. Honestly Smallville, he's as difficult as you sometimes. But he does seem to prefer it when you do it, I guess the father-son bonding thing is in full effect now."

Clark's chest puffed out a little with pride as he glanced at his son. "Sorry, I'll do it when I get home later, okay?"

She chuckled lightly, switching Kaleb from one arm to the other. "So what's going on over there? Slow news day?"

Clark nodded. "Slow news day. I really don't want to be here."

"I know, but what can we do? Gotta earn the pennies Smallville."

Clark leaned a little closer to the monitor and whispered. "I'd rather be at home with you."

He had the satisfaction of seeing Lois' cheeks turn pink for a moment and he found himself remembering the previous night. Obviously, Lois was still healing and they were taking things slowly, but Clark was glad that he was no longer sleeping in the spare bedroom.

Waking up next to Lois was the best feeling in the world, second only to the feeling of going to sleep with her in his arms. Although the waiting was torture for him, he knew he would wait a lifetime for Lois to be ready, to want that connection back again. The first few nights she'd been so…shy, nervous about the way she looked. Which he hadn't been able to fathom.

But Clark had reassured her that she was just as, if not more, attractive to him than she had been before. After a while, things had gotten easier and Lois had taken to falling asleep with her head against his chest, effectively using him as a pillow. Which, he didn't mind in the slightest.

"Earth to Clark." He snapped back to the screen to see Lois clicking her fingers.

"Sorry, my mind was…"

"Wandering?" she giggled. "I'll bet. Okay, say goodbye to daddy sweetie, we have to go out."

"Alone?" Clark said, alerting Lois to the fear in his voice.

"We need groceries Clark."

"I can get them on my way home."

Lois watched him through narrowed eyes for a moment, then leaned forward. "Listen, I know you're worried about Romano, but I really don't think that coming after a woman and a baby in the middle of the day in a crowded city is his style."

"I don't want to take any chances. With the Mayor looking into him again, I want us to be on our guard."

Lois sighed, but could see his point. "Okay, I'll get Fletch to come with us. Better?"

"Better. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be overprotective."

"It's okay. But you need to be careful too. I love you."

"I love you too." Lois ended the call and Clark was left staring at a blank screen. Switching back to the work he'd been doing before she'd called, Clark sighed and started typing.  
**  
~~~~~~~~~**

"So?"

Lois glanced to her left as she pushed Kaleb in his stroller down the busy sidewalk just a few blocks from her apartment. "So what?"

Fletch sighed in exasperation. "You're really not going to give me anything are you?"

"I already told you, Clark and I are taking things slowly. I don't want to mess this up again."

"But you're sharing the same bed."

"Yes, not that is any of your business." she said, throwing him a mock glare. He just chuckled and carried on.

"You're one lucky woman kiddo. I have to admit Clark does have his…merits."

"He does. But you're supposed to be working on Ashley remember?"

At the mention of his boyfriend's name, Fletch's smile faded. "I know. I was hoping he'd come around by now. How much longer am I going to have to wait?"

"Maybe you're looking at this all wrong, maybe you should go to him."

"And beg to be taken back? I don't think so. Besides, he doesn't want to see me."

"And how exactly do you know that? He might be missing you just as much as you are him. In fact, I'd bet on it."

"Really?" he asked, holding the door to the café open so that they could go inside.

Once seated, Lois took Kaleb out and passed him to an eager Fletch, who'd been wanting to hold him but couldn't since Kaleb had been asleep. She watched the two of them for a moment, smiling. Fletch was fantastic with children, and she hoped that he would be able to experience this for himself one day.

"Fletch." she said. He looked up from the baby to her. "Go to him. You need to make him see sense. And you can't do that over a phone."

"I'm scared Lois." he whispered, lowering his eyes.

"I know. But you have to at least try."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. I don't know though. Anyway, what's new with this Romano guy that you were telling me about?"

"He's been quiet actually, too quiet. I don't like it. We haven't heard anything about him in the past two weeks, but I know that the Mayor has requested that all his files be looked into, so maybe he's just laying low. It doesn't sit well with me though and Clark has gone into super-protective mode."

"Aw, that's just because he loves you. I can understand that. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you, or this little guy. You're my family too."

She reached across the table and covered his hand with her own. "And so is Ashley."  
she said, seeing the pain in his eyes. "Please Fletch, go find him and set things right."

Fletch's lower lip trembled and for a second Lois thought he was going to cry. But he quickly regained his composure, aware of where they were. "I will. Just as soon as I know you're safe."

"I am safe, I have Clark. Trust me, there's no safer place to be than with him."

Fletch's gaze grew sharp. "That sounds like you're not telling me something. What are you hiding?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Now come on, let's order, I'm starving."

Fletch didn't respond, but he did watch her, making her feel like squirming in her seat. But she remained still and browsed through her menu and eventually his attention went back to the baby. When she put it down a few minutes later, he was watching her again. "I'm happy everything's worked out for you kiddo. I really am."

"Me too."

"I've watched you grow into a beautiful woman, and this is everything you deserve kiddo."

"Thank you. I just hope that we can make it work this time."

"You will. I haven't seen two people more in love since…" He paused and Lois knew what he'd been about to say. But she'd said her piece, the rest was up to him now. She couldn't fix it for him.

"I know you're right. I'm just nervous I guess, I just want everything to be perfect."

Now if they could just get Romano out of their lives for good, everything would be perfect.

Romano walked slowly, later that evening, pulling the collar of his jacket up, to shield his face from both the wind and from view. He was feeling rather on edge this evening, as he made his way down the dark alley that led to the back of the old pharmacy that had closed down months ago. As he reached the back of the store, a dark figure moved in the shadows, and Romano was instantly on guard. "You're a hard man to track down."

"Why did you call me? I thought we were done."

_Ethan Pierce_.

Romano barely held back the contempt he felt for this man. He'd messed so many things up. But tonight, tonight he was going to fix it all.

"We are. I just need your help one last time." Romano said, circling around him so he had his back to the wall and the entrance to the alley in his line of sight. Ethan turned to look at him.

"No! I won't kill anyone! You can't make me, I'll go back to prison, I don't care. I won't hurt anyone else for you."

"I'm not asking you to." Romano replied in a cool, calm voice. He held his hands up in a calming gesture but it only served to make the already jumpy man more volatile.

Ethan backed away, his eyes frantically searching the entire alley.

"You can't make me do it anymore. I don't care what you do to me."

"I am not asking you to hurt anyone. I promise. You already screwed up with the Mayor and it's lucky for you that she doesn't know who you are. But you have information I need."

"Like what?"

"The Blur chased you off, are you telling me you don't know who he is?"

"I never saw his face, he was moving too fast and I was kind of preoccupied with getting out of there." Ethan said, but his eyes remained on the ground. Interesting, Romano thought. Why wouldn't he look at him?

"Ethan, I need you to be honest with me. I have the Mayor breathing down my neck, my reputation is on the line. I need to know who he is. I need to get the trust of this city back."

Ethan's head snapped up as Romano stepped closer. He took a step back, but his back met with the wall of the pharmacy and he had nowhere to go. He started to look panicked. "I told you, I don't know anything."

Romano sighed and dropped his head. This insolent little jerk was really beginning to get on his last nerve. Taking a deep breath, he reached into his pocket with one hand and grabbed Ethan's shoulder with the other.

"It's okay Ethan, I believe you." Then his arm surged forward and he moved quickly to cover the shocked yell from Ethan's mouth.

As he slumped against him, Romano pushed him to the ground, withdrawing the knife as he went. He crouched down slowly, removing his gloves to wrap them around the knife. "Feel like talking now, or am I going to have to finish what I started?"

Ethan coughed and spluttered, his hands busy trying to stem the bleeding from the wound in his abdomen. "I know who he is…"

Romano smiled, feeling victorious. "Tell me."

_To Be Continued..._


	47. Chapter 46

_**Previously on Back To Your Heart**_

_"I told you, I don't know anything."_

Romano sighed and dropped his head. This insolent little jerk was really beginning to get on his last nerve. Taking a deep breath, he reached into his pocket with one hand and grabbed Ethan's shoulder with the other.

"It's okay Ethan, I believe you." Then his arm surged forward and he moved quickly to cover the shocked yell from Ethan's mouth. As he slumped against him, Romano pushed him to the ground, withdrawing the knife as he went. He crouched down slowly, removing his gloves to wrap them around the knife. "Feel like talking now?"

Ethan coughed and spluttered, his hands busy trying to stem the bleeding from the wound in his abdomen. "I know who he is…"

Romano smiled, feeling victorious. "Tell me."

_**Chapter Forty Six**_

Clark didn't want to move. He knew he had to get up and get ready for work and for once he was thankful that he hadn't had a very busy evening as the Blur. He'd been able to spend most of it with his family. Which was now why he didn't want to move.

Lois was half draped across him, her leg over one of his, her arm thrown around his shoulder, and her face was buried in his chest. Just the feel of her skin against his, the weight of her body, made him feel so alive. He'd missed this so much, just…this. Snuggling with Lois was the perfect thing. He rubbed his palm softly over the velvety skin of her back, his fingers leaving feather-light touches that made goosebumps break out on her skin even in sleep.

Taking a deep breath, Clark relished the scent of her. Then his eyes opened as he heard Kaleb stirring in the crib next to their bed. Any second now he would start his demand for his breakfast. But Clark laid still, hoping that his son would settle and give Lois a little more time to sleep. Of course that was just an excuse to stay in bed with her a little longer, but he would take all the time he could get. He'd been deprived of enough over the past year.

Kaleb, however, had other plans that didn't include letting his father have more quality time with his mother. He let out a small gurgle, which quickly grew into a full blown wail and before Clark could even move, Lois' eyes had snapped open and she was alert.

"Morning." he said, leaning his head down to kiss her.

"Ummm, morning." Her voice, still croaky from sleep, was sexy, making him feel things he knew he shouldn't while their son was currently screaming at them. Lois pulled back and sighed. "Somone's hungry."

She made a move to get up, but Clark stopped her. "Wait there, I'll get him."

She didn't argue, she just smiled and moved onto her back, sitting up against the headboard so that she could feed Kaleb.

Clark leaned into the crib, laughing as he looked at Kaleb's little face, scrunched up and red. "Come on Kaleb, mommy's right here. We didn't go anywhere, calm down."

As Clark picked him up, Lois watched him, how he was so calm and sure as he rocked their son back and forth in his arms. She found it so amazing to witness this sight, Clark could lift a tractor with those arms, and yet, holding their precious cargo, he was so gentle and soft. The man was a natural when it came to being a father.

Of course it didn't hurt that he was also shirtless, as Lois was unable to tear her eyes away from the rippling muscles until Clark leaned over the bed, placing a very upset baby in her arms. He got back into bed next to her as she began feeding Kaleb, placing a light kiss on her cheek as he wrapped the sheet over his legs.

"You're beautiful." Clark said out of the blue, and to her surprise and mortification, she actually felt herself blushing. What the…? Why would Clark saying that make her blush, it wasn't like he hadn't said it before. She'd heard it a hundred times when they'd been dating.

She cleared her throat and smiled. "You're not so bad yourself, Smallville."

Clark chuckled and she knew that he could tell she was embarrassed so he changed the subject. _Thank you_.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" he asked, holding Kaleb's hand. The little boy was far too interested in his breakfast to care or even know.

"Uh, I don't know actually. Fletch is coming over later, I said we'd watch a movie."

"Oh that's good, how is he doing?"

Lois shrugged. "I don't know, I'm worried about him. I was hoping that Ashley would come to his senses already, but it hasn't happened and with each day that passes, I'm worried it never will."

"Maybe he just needs a little more time."

Lois nodded. "Maybe. Anyway, shouldn't you be getting to work?"

"It would take me a second to get there Lois."

"I know." She let out a little chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"Well you walked in last night and not once did you ask about the box on the dining room table."

Clark frowned. "There's a box on the dining room table?"

"Yes. From your mom."

"What's in it?"

"I don't want to tell you, it's a surprise. But she worked really hard on it so can you at least try to be nice about it?"

Curiosity well and truly peaked now, Clark got up and disappeared out of the room.

Lois looked down at Kaleb. "What do you think kiddo? Think he'll like it?" She waited for a second then let out a burst of laughter. "No, me neither."

Ten seconds later Clark reappeared with a large black box that had a bow around it. "Lois, what's this about? My birthday was weeks ago."

"Just open it Smallville."

He sat down, still frowning, and slowly opened the box. Lois leaned forward a little to see his reaction. He didn't disappoint, and Lois had to laugh. If his eyebrows rose up any further she wouldn't be able to see them.

"She made this? For me?"

"Uh-huh. See we got to talking about the Mayor's phone call. And the fact that the city is waiting for someone to show them what hope is."

"Lois…" his voice carried a warning tone that she chose to ignore. She had to get through to him.

"And I think that this…" She pointed to the contents of the box. "Is exactly the symbol they need."

"You seriously expect me to wear this? How am I supposed to convince people that I'm not Clark Kent unless I wear a mask? And I won't do that Lois."

Lois tilted her head and studied him, she could see that he was at least thinking about it and that was a step in the right direction. She wouldn't push, it had to be something that he wanted to do for himself. And she had faith that he would do the right thing. "I think, no I _know_…if you think really hard. You can come up with a way."

Later that afternoon as he stood at the copy machine, Lois' words were still reverberating around Clark's head. How was he supposed to do any of what she'd suggested? He didn't see a way of making it work. He glanced out into the bullpen, his colleagues were milling about, going about their own business.

No one paid him any attention. Maybe that was the key. That's what he needed to figure out. With a nod of his head, he knew he had to go and see Jor-El soon. He would have the answers he needed.

"I can't believe how big he's gotten in just two weeks." Fletch mused as he stared at Kaleb. He was sitting at the kitchen table while Lois got some snacks ready for their movie.

Lois grinned at the noises her son was making. He seemed to like Fletch a lot, if the constant gurgles were any indication.

"Don't remind me, I'm the one who had to push him out remember? He takes after his father for the growth spurt."

Fletch laughed and looked up at Lois, his expression turning serious. "I envy you kiddo."

"Me? Why?"

"You've got it all now. A great job that you're excellent at, a loving boyfriend, who is easy on the eyes if I do say so myself. A gorgeous baby boy and a great apartment. What else is there?"

"Winning the lotto?"

"Ha-ha." he replied dryly. "You know what I mean. I've never seen you so happy."

"I've never been this happy. Truthfully, I'm a little worried that one day it'll all come undone."

Fletch threw her a sceptical look. "That's your problem kiddo, you can never just take what you get. You always look at the downside too."

They made their way into the living room and sat down on the sofa. "What's wrong with that? It means that you're being sensible and prepared for the worst."

"No it means that you're pessimistic and Lois, you have absolutely no reason to be."

"You don't know everything about my life Fletch, there are some things that are…well they're just complicated."

Fletch watched her for a moment as if waiting for more, but when she stayed silent he shook his head. "Look, I know that you have something you're not telling me. I could sense it when you came to stay with me in Colorado. But the one thing I do know, no, that I'm sure of…is that you and Clark will go the distance. I feel it."

"That's not what I'm worried about." she said quietly, staring at the baby lying in her friend's arms.

"Then what are you worried about?"

She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a loud banging on the door. Frowning she got up to answer it. Her jaw dropped when she saw who was on the other side.

"What do you want?"

Anthony Romano leaned against the doorframe, looking tired, flustered and…very angry. Which immediately put Lois on guard.

Slowly he raised himself to full height, towering over Lois. She tried to close the door slightly, but he slapped his hand against it, both stopping her and making her jump.

"Why are you here?" she whispered.

Romano grinned, and her blood turned to ice. "I came to see the Blur. Is he home?"

**~~~~~~**

  
After getting back to the Daily Planet from stopping a bank robbery, Clark sat down at his desk, picked up his phone and dialled Lois' number. He needed to hear her voice, he missed her. But a hand slapped down on the phone before he could.

He looked up to see Cat Grant standing over him with that grin that always made him a little wary of her. She was up to something. Either that or she was about to come on to him again and he was really not in the mood to deal with that right now. Luckily that didn't seem to be the case.

"Did you hear?" she said excitedly.

Sighing, Clark put the phone down. "Hear what?"

"The police put out an APB on our lovely resident DA."

Clark's brows shot up. "What? Why?"

"Apparently he's wanted in connection with the attacks on the Mayor."

Clark glanced around the bullpen, everyone was…calm. Wouldn't this news have them all in a frenzy by now? "How do you know about this Cat?"

She leaned forward and winked at him. "I have a contact down at the station."

Clark didn't want to know the hidden meaning behind that sentence. Shaking his head, he said. "What happened?"

"A body was found in a dumpster behind Grayson's old pharmacy that shut down a while back. Apparently he was stabbed to death."

Trying hard to ignore her excitement that this was happening and a man had lost his life, Clark pressed for more. "What does that have to do with Romano?"

"The guy who was murdered? His name was Ethan Pierce."

Then it clicked. "He was the man that attacked the Mayor before. But that still doesn't explain how it ties in with…"

Cat rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of his desk. "They found a voice recorder on the body Clark. Don't you get it? The guy knew he was going to get iced, so he got his own back."

Frowning at her, Clark bit his lip to keep from saying what he really wanted to. "What was on it?"

"Romano's voice. My contact said it was pretty gruesome to listen to. But it was definitely Romano."

"So why haven't they arrested him already?"

"Because he's disappeared. No one knows where he is. But I did find out something interesting."

"Oh?"

Cat grinned, nodding. "Romano's going after the Blur. I'm sure of it. My cop said that he was asking about his identity and the guy told him that he'd had him all along and let him go. That he already knew who it was."

Alarm bells started going off inside Clark's head. This was not good. Romano knew who he was. And he'd disappeared.

"Lois." he whispered, shooting to his feet.

"Uh, where are you going?"

"I have to go check on something." he replied, running out of the door.

Once he was outside and out of view, he sped off to his apartment. His stomach started churning when he saw the open door.

"Lois?" he yelled as he rushed inside. There was no sign of her, no sounds at all, except for…a groaning noise. Coming from the other side of the sofa. Glancing around, he saw Fletch lying in a pool of blood.

"Fletch! Oh my God…" Quickly kneeling down next to him, Clark checked him over. He had a bullet lodged in his lung and it was bleeding badly. If he didn't get help soon, he would die.

"Fletch can you hear me?"

A groan was his response.

Clark lifted him up carefully and took off towards the hospital. Bursting in the doors he yelled for help and almost immediately three nurses appeared with a gurney. Clark's head was beginning to spin, his whole world colliding as the events started to hit home. "Fletch," he grabbed the man's hand as the nurses stopped for a second.

"Sir we need to get him into surgery now!" One of them said, impatiently.

"Fletch can you hear me?"

"He took her." Fletch whispered, only loud enough for Clark to hear.

Clark's hands were shaking, his whole body starting to temble. "Where, where did he take her?"

"Them. He took…them."

"Sir, please, we have to move!" Clark stood back and watched as they rushed Fletch down the hallway. Hoping he would be okay, but no real time to spare to make sure, Clark rushed back to the apartment to see if he could find any clues. But there was nothing. At least nothing that he could see. And he scanned every inch of that place.

Panic and fear were now starting to clog his mind, making it hard to think. Romano had Lois. He had Lois and he had Kaleb.

As Clark stood there thinking, anger started to take over the fear.

"Romano wants the Blur, he's going to get the Blur."

_To Be Continued..._


	48. Chapter 47

_**Chapter Forty Seven**_

"You know as far as lazy afternoons go, I have to say this is the best one I've had in a long time." Chloe murmured into Oliver's shoulder as they snuggled on the sofa in his…well their apartment she supposed.

He'd made it official by asking her to move in with him but she knew as soon as he'd taken her home from the hospital that he wasn't intending to let her go back to her apartment ever again. And truthfully, she was okay with it. He'd been taking such good care of her, making sure she didn't do anything strenuous or tiring, and even though she was getting a little frustrated, it was so nice having someone to take care of her.

"What would you like for dinner? My treat."

"How about we postpone dinner for a little while?" she purred, leaning up to kiss his jaw line.

"Are you sure?"

She could hear the concern in his tone so she rolled her eyes and grabbed his collar, pulling him down to kiss her. "Does that answer your question?"

"Oh I think it does…" he grinned. He quickly shed her jacket and ran his hands down her bare arms, kissing her as he started to unbutton her shirt.

"Oliver…" she whispered as he trailed kisses down her cheek, her jaw, her neck, finding that sweet spot that always drove her crazy.

Slowly he raised his head, his eyes burning. "Yeah?"

"Make love to me."

He nodded once and lifted her into his arms, carrying her through to their bedroom. Gently he placed her down on the covers, taking a moment to stare down at her. She was everything to him, he didn't know what he would do without her. And suddenly all those feelings rushed to the surface, so strong in their intensity that he could barely draw a breath.

"I love you Chloe."

She smiled lazily. "I know, I love you too."

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." he said without thinking, then watched as her eyes grew wide. "I mean um…well…"

"Well?" she asked breathlessly. She was waiting for him to finish, he thought. She wasn't freaked out. He sat down on the bed next to her.

"I want grow old with you, I want to have lots of babies and live happily ever after. Is  
that stupid?"

She chuckled and touched his cheek. "No it's not stupid." Then she shook her head and sat up. "You know I look at Lois and Clark and I see what they have, and I want that for myself. I want a family, someone to grow old with, someone to belong to."

"You belong to me." he said quietly, cupping her face in both hands. "You always will."

Her heart melted as he leaned in for another kiss, taking her back down onto the bed with him. She was just about to reach for his shirt when the shrill sound of the phone broke the silence. She groaned against his mouth.

"Ignore it." he said.

"It might be important." She chuckled as she pushed him away and grabbed the handset from the nightstand next to the bed, trying to ignore the smouldering look in Oliver's eyes. "Hello?"

"Chloe…" Immediately she sat up straight. The tone in that one word told her that something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Clark, what is it?"

"Romano, he has Lois…and Kaleb. He took them." She had never, in all the time she'd known him, heard him so panicked before.

"What? How did that happen?"

"I don't know, he shot Fletch and took them from the apartment." His voice broke her heart, he was so scared.

"Okay what can we do?" she asked, trying to keep the fear from her own voice.

"I need to find…" He went silent and for a moment Chloe thought he'd hung up on her.

"Clark?"

"I know where they are, I hear him calling for me."

Chloe flicked a glance to Oliver, who was already standing, waiting. "Where?"

"Luthorcorp." he whispered, sending a chill down her spine. "The Luthorcorp building."

She told Oliver and watched as he shot out of the room, heading for his Green Arrow gear. "Oliver's on his way Clark."

"He's got my family Chloe…"

"We'll get them back! Just…be careful Clark. This guys knows who you are, it's possible he knows your weakness too." She hated mentioning it because she knew it would make him feel bad, but he had to go in prepared or he could lose both Lois and Kaleb…forever.

Clark came to a stop in front of Luthorcorp, listening. He could hear Romano, calling him, taunting him. Anger pulsated through him, threatening to take him over, but he pushed it back down, Chloe's words still ringing in his ears. He had to be careful, for his family. They needed him.

Romano had already killed one man, it was clear he had no conscience and wouldn't hesitate to take Lois out too. How had he even gotten in there, the security in that building was immense, even for late in the afternoon after everyone had already left.

He did a quick scan of the building, there weren't that many people in there, just a cleaning crew. But he couldn't see any sign of Romano or Lois and Kaleb.

Then, from above him, he heard. "I know you're out there Clark, I know you can hear me."

Clark glanced up, his breath catching in his throat. They were on the roof.

Romano smiled, making her cringe. "For a guy who zips around the city in the blink of an eye, he sure is slow getting to where it counts."

Even if she hadn't been bound and gagged, Lois wouldn't have been able to answer him. Her eyes kept going to her son, who was strangely still asleep. That much she was glad for. At least he was young enough to come out of this without any memories. And they would come out of it, she was sure of that. Clark would find a way. But that didn't make it any less terrifying.

Romano watched her, chuckling. "Don't worry Lois, I'm sure your wonder hero will be here soon enough." He stepped closer to her, getting right up close to her face.

"And then…we're going to have some fun."

He took off as fast as he could, everything around him seemingly frozen as he ran. In the blink of an eye he was bursting through the door leading to the roof and then he froze. A security guard lay to the side, his back turned to Clark. But Clark didn't need to see his face to know that he was already dead. He could see the blood spreading across the back of his shirt.

But that wasn't what stopped him in his tracks. Romano was standing close the edge, right next to the wall, holding Kaleb in one arm. Lois was next to him, a gun pointed straight to her temple. She was sitting on the wall, her hands and feet bound, her mouth gagged. As she saw him, her eyes shined with hope and relief through the tears.

"Nice you of you finally join us Clark. Or do you prefer to be called Mr Blur since you're dressed for the occasion." Romano smiled as he glanced at Clark's black trench coat and the shirt with his family's crest on it.

"Whatever you're problem is, it's with me, you don't need to bring them into it." Clark said, forcing his voice to sound calm. "Let them go and you can do what you want with me, you can expose me, I don't care."

"You'd be willing to reveal yourself for them?"

_In a heartbeat_, Clark thought. "Yes. Just let them go. You can't win this Romano, you've already killed two people, the police are looking for you. There's nowhere for you to go."

"Then I truly have nothing to lose anymore do I? You saw to that." Romano growled, pressing the gun into Lois' temple a little more. Her tiny whimper had Clark stepping closer but Romano caught the movement.

"Ah, ah. Back! I will kill her, be sure of that." Clark backed off, barely holding it together. The urge to super speed them to safety was strong, but he couldn't. If he got to Kaleb first, Lois would be shot, if he got to Lois first…Kaleb would be in danger. Romano held all the cards here and he knew it.

"What do you want?" Clark asked, his voice tight because of the lump of fear that was lodged in his throat.

"What I've always wanted. I want the city to wake up and realise who they're putting their faith in. You, the so-called hero who everyone trusts without asking any questions. I can't understand how the population of this city can be so blind to the fact that you have super human abilities, that you're an alien."

"I only ever wanted to help people, but you made it your life's mission to discredit anything I do. I don't do it for attention, I don't do it for gratitude. I do it because I can, I have these abilities…"

"Which you could do anything with! You could take over this planet and no one even cares!" Romano yelled, jerking Kaleb out of his slumber. Clark's whole body tensed as Romano looked down at his son. "Well hello there Kaleb. Look who's here, your super daddy."

"Please, just let them go. I'll do whatever you want."

"The problem with that Clark, is that I no longer just want to reveal you to the world. I want you out of this world. For good. But I don't know how to kill you…yet."

Relieved at least that there wasn't any Kryptonite in sight, Clark allowed himself to hope.

Seemingly calm again, Romano smiled. "See the thing is, you could enslave the human race, you could do pretty much anything you wanted. And I can't allow that to happen."

"He's a baby, he has nothing to do with this…"

"That's where you're wrong again. He's _your_ son. Meaning he's an alien too. He'll grow up to be like you. Before you know it this planet will be overrun with your kind." His tone was quiet, methodical and…frightening.

Clark kept his eyes on Romano, he couldn't bear to see the fear in Lois' eyes. "What happened to you? When did you stop caring about justice and fighting for those who'd been wronged. You were the District Attorney…"

"And I was screwed over!" He yelled again, frightening Kaleb to tears. The little boy started wriggling in his arm, crying out and it took everything Clark had not to snatch him. He couldn't risk hurting him, he had no idea if his speed was safe for a two week old child.

Romano stepped closer to Lois, standing right next to her, with the gun still pressed into her temple. "It's interesting to me, that you would choose to live a normal life."  
He snorted. "Well as normal as an alien can get. But why choose to settle down and have a family? And if the occasion ever presented itself, who would you choose? Your family, or the citizens of this city that you claim to care so much about."

Clark swallowed hard, unable to answer. But Romano wasn't really looking for an answer.

"I wonder who is more important to you, your girlfriend…or your heir. I mean without him, there's no one to carry on your legacy."

Panic seized Clark's heart in a painful grip. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Just as Romano was about to answer, a voice from below called up through a mega-phone. "This is the Metropolis Police! Anthony Romano we have you surrounded, release your hostages!"

"Wow, I didn't think they'd be so prompt. I guess I was wrong about our city's finest." Romano chuckled, not even fazed in the slightest by the turn of events. "Oh and would you look at that, there's a crowd growing already."

"You know I thought the DA was supposed to protect people." Clark looked over to see the Green Arrow appear at the stairwell door. He nodded at Clark, but kept his eyes on Romano, his hand on his crossbow.

"Oh look, another costumed wonder who thinks vigilantism is the answer." Romano said dryly.

Oliver shook his head. "What do you think you're doing? He's just a baby…"

"Yes, and you are?"

Oliver removed his hood and glasses. "I'm Oliver Queen. And if you want to expose Clark, I'm going right along with him. You have the wrong idea about us, we help people…"

"At what cost? Look at the damage you do." Romano shifted in his stance, clearly starting to feel a little outnumbered.

"It's worth it all if we save even one life. Can you say the same?"

Clark stepped forward. "You don't have to be the bad guy here Romano, you can let them go and walk away."

"And you'd let me, I don't think so. No, there's nowhere left for me to go, I'm going to see this through to the gripping conclusion."

The air seemed to stand still around them, and for a few moments no one moved an inch. But then Romano's body language changed and he started to turn his back to them.

Clark flicked his eyes to Oliver, saw him pull his crossbow and suddenly, the gun was gone. Before Romano could even react, Clark had snatched Kaleb away, but he quickly recovered, giving Lois a shove just as Clark handed Kaleb to Oliver. But Lois was prepared, she hooked her tied hands over Romano's head and took him over the edge with her.

"Lois!" Clark screamed, taking a split second to make sure Kaleb was safe with Oliver before diving over the edge.

On the top of the Luthorcorp building, Oliver stood looking over the edge with baby Kaleb still crying in his arms. "Ssh, don't worry, he'll catch her." he whispered soothingly, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. "Everything's going to be okay little guy."

"Help! Somebody, please…" Oliver frowned, it was Romano. He was clinging to the edge of the ledge and he was slipping.

For a brief moment Oliver didn't move. But then something Clark once said clicked in his mind. Every human life was important, no matter who they were or what they'd done. He placed Kaleb down on the ground, wrapping him in his blanket a little tighter, then went to the edge.

"Romano, grab my hand." He reached down, his hand inches away from Romano's. "Stretch, come on!"

"I'm trying dammit!" Romano yelled. He was scared, Oliver realised. Knowing that he had no way of escape was one thing, but being confronted by his own mortality was another.

"Just a little further." Oliver said, stretching himself down so hard that his shoulders screamed at him. Romano pulled himself up a little, reaching with his other hand, and just as he grabbed Oliver's hand, his other one slipped and he started to fall. Oliver growled with exertion as he tried to hang on, but it was no good.

Romano's hand slipped out of his grasp and he fell.

A feeling took Clark over, a sort of peace as he glided closer and closer to Lois. She was falling fast, and he could see the sheer fear in her eyes. He tucked his head down and pushed, pushed himself harder and faster than he knew even he could go, blocking out every sound around him.

And then…he reached her.

He grabbed her in his arms, and everything came to a stop. The buildings stopped whirring past them, and the ground was no longer racing up to meet them. Their eyes connected, and Lois smiled around her gag. It was then that Clark realised that they were floating. Just…floating, in mid air.

Glancing down, he saw the crowd looking up, could hear the gasps of shock and the whispers. "He caught her, I can't believe he caught her." And. "He's flying. Dude that guy is flying! Who is he?"

When he looked back to Lois, she gave him a nod. He smiled and looked up, and he was moving. Upwards.

Clark Kent was flying.

He landed on the rooftop, taking a moment to hold Lois close to him before he placed her on the ground. He quickly snapped the restraints off her wrists and legs and removed her gag.

"Are you okay?" he asked, breathlessly.

She nodded, but he could still feel her hands trembling as he held them in his own. "I think so."

"I was so scared…" he whispered, touching his forehead to hers.

"Uh guys? There's someone here who wants to know his mom's okay." Oliver's voice broke the moment and both Lois and Clark ran over to him.

Clark scooped his son into his arms, hugging him and Lois close. Lois kissed Kaleb's cheek, smoothing a hand over his head. "Is he okay?"

Clark checked him over and nodded. "He's fine."

"What happened to Romano?" Lois asked.

Oliver grimaced. "I tried. He was dangling and I tried to pull him up but…"

As he trailed off, Clark got the picture. The three of them remained silent as the events of the evening took their toll.

"Come on, let's get you two home." Clark said, keeping one arm around Lois' shoulders as he carried Kaleb in the other. "Oliver, thank you."

Oliver smiled but Clark could see how scared he'd been too. "Hey that's what I'm here for remember?"

_To Be Continued..._


	49. Chapter 48

_**Chapter Forty Eight**_

"Is he going to be okay?" Lois asked the following morning, holding onto Clark with an iron grip as she spoke to the doctor in front of them.

Doctor Philips, a sweet, balding man looked grim but tried to smile to ease the tension. "There's nothing more we can do at this point Miss Lane. We managed to get the bullet lodged in Mr. Fletcher's lung out, but there was a lot of bleeding and he later developed a pneumothorax."

Lois shook her head. "Could you explain it to me in easier words? I'm not quite awake yet." Lois replied, though in truth she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night.

Doctor Philips adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Of course. The bullet caused his lung to collapse. We got it under control but he's now on a respirator. He hasn't woken up from his surgery yet and it's that that has me a little concerned right now. He came to for about a minute, but since then, nothing."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Clark asked, sensing that Lois couldn't respond. If her grip on his hand got any tighter even he would be wincing.

"We're doing all we can right now. But I'm concerned that if he doesn't wake up soon…" He let the sentence trail, leaving Lois in no doubt as to what he meant. "Does Mr. Fletcher have any family here? Any next of kin?"

Lois shook her head. "No, but I called his partner last night, he's on his way. He should be here soon." She tried not to remember the way Ashley sounded when she'd called him. He'd been so…quiet, which was not like him. And after he'd told her he would be on the first available plane to Metropolis, he'd ended the conversation.

The doctor nodded. "Good, okay. Hearing familiar voices can only help at this point."

"Can I see him now?"

"Of course you can. I'll be back later to check up on him."

"Thank you." Lois shook the man's hand and then followed Clark into Fletch's room.

She paused, looking at the still figure in the bed. It wasn't long ago that she was staring at her own cousin in the same place. Banishing those memories, because Chloe was indeed alive and well, she stepped closer. Taking one of his hands, gently, Lois leaned in. "Fletch, it's me, Lois. What are you playing at huh? You need to wake your ass up pronto soldier."

Clark stood behind her, supportive but allowing her the space she needed, and she was grateful for that. He always seemed to know exactly what she needed.

"I called Ashley…" she continued. "He's on his way. Please just hold on, if not for me, do it for him. He needs you Fletch, deep down." She blinked back the tears and whispered. "I need you."

"Lois?" Clark's voice, so soft in her ear, almost made her cry. It was so tender, so caring. With one word he could convey how much he wanted to know that she was okay. She leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder and he placed a gentle kiss on her temple.

"I'm okay."

"Would you like me to leave you alone with him?"

"No!" she grabbed his hand. "Stay with me."

"Okay."

She closed her eyes as Clark wrapped his arms around her, then looked up as the door opened.

"Ashley!" Almost immediately, Ashley's eyes misted up as he looked at Fletch and then he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.

"What the hell happened to him?"

"He was shot. The doctor says he's stable, but he…well he needs you Ashley."

"It's that bad?" Ashley asked, his face draining of its colour as he pulled back. Lois said nothing, but knew that in itself was an answer. Ashley glanced down at Fletch, then back to Lois. "I think you need to tell me everything."

~~~~~~~

Later that morning, Lois sat next to Ashley at the side of Fletch's bed. The tears had passed now, but there was silence in the room as he just sat staring at Fletch. Lois studied him, trying to understand what he was thinking. At six foot two, he was tall with dark brown, floppy hair that fell over his hazel eyes. But as always, his thoughts were a mystery to her.

"How's the little one?" he asked quietly, breaking the silence. She understood what he was doing, wanting to talk about something safe, something that wouldn't scare him.

"He's doing great. Two weeks old and already so much like his father."

Ashley reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for that. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. So has Fletch."

Ashley's face darkened and Lois cursed herself for putting her foot in it. "I can't believe that DA was responsible for this. I'm so sorry he hurt you Lois. I'm glad he's where he belongs."

"It's okay Ash, it wasn't like I was going to stay in Colorado anyway. I think we all knew where I'd end up."

A brief smile appeared. "Yes, Fletch and I both knew you'd go back to Clark eventually. It was very clear right from the start how much you loved the guy, even though you claimed to hate him."

"Don't remind me."

"But I'm happy for you sweetie, I really am. Clark seems like a decent guy, and from what I saw earlier, he loves you very much. Where did he disappear to anyway?"

"He went to pick Kaleb up from his mom and dad's house. And I think he wanted to give us some alone time."

Ashley sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "Uh-oh, I know where this is heading."

"I just don't understand it. You two love each other, why did you leave?"

Ashley sighed and stared at Fletch. "I don't really know anymore. I was hurting. And I punished both of us, that wasn't fair. But now…" he sniffled. "The fact that I might lose him forever…I…"

"Hey, you're not gonna lose him. He is going to be fine, you hear me?"

"Why was I such an ass to him?"

"He understands more than you know Ash. He knew you were hurting, but he was hoping you'd come to your senses and see that just because your parents' marriage fell apart, doesn't mean the same thing will happen to you two."

"I know that now. I don't want to live without him Lo-Lo." Lois smiled at the nickname only Ashley had for her. She hadn't heard it for so long.

"Then tell him." She murmured softly. Ashley hugged her, and then nodded. "I'll give you some time alone."

She got up and walked to the door, taking a moment to look back. He was staring back down at Fletch and from the expression on his face, Lois knew that they would be okay. Provided of course, that Fletch woke up soon. _Please..._

~~~~~~~

_**Three Days Later...**_

"That's everything Lo." Clark announced as he placed the two medium size suitcases and one smaller one on the floor by the front door. Lois walked over to him, linking her arms around his neck. She leaned in and kissed him tenderly.

"What was that for?" he asked, smoothing his hands down her back.

"Because I wanted to kiss you. And because I can." she chuckled and moved away to start unpacking, but Clark stopped her.

"I'll do that. Is Kaleb down for his nap already?"

"He was out like a light the minute I put him down. That kid can sleep through anything." Her smile faded as she spoke, reminding Clark of exactly why they were here.

After three days of being questioned by the police, Clark's parents coming over and generally everyone calling to make sure they were okay, Clark had seen how exhausted Lois was. Not to mention the press harassing them for interviews and constant visits to the hospital to see Fletch who had only woken up yesterday.

But even though she'd tried to hide it, he could see in her eyes how affected she'd been by what happened. It worried him that she hadn't really talked about it, that she seemed to be burying it in order to move on. So he'd asked Oliver for a favour.

And now they were standing in Oliver's luxury villa in the Caribbean. Having flown in this morning on Oliver's private jet, Clark was hoping the extra time they had could be put to good use. Namely, Lois relaxing. He felt that they both needed a little get away.

Everything seemed to happen so fast between them, first with their relationship, then her finding out his secret in the worst possible way, then not seeing her for six months, to finally reuniting and welcoming their son into the world. Plus all the Romano stuff too. Clark just wanted to slow things down for a little while and just…be with her.

"Stop it." Lois murmured.

"Stop what?"

She reached up and smoothed away the crease in his forehead, the one caused by the constant frown he wore lately. "That. I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me."

"I can't help it. I could've lost you and Kaleb, I just can't get that out of my head." he replied, circling his arms around her waist, holding her body close to his.

"But you didn't. I'm here, you're here…we're together, isn't that what counts?"

"Why won't you talk to me Lois?" he whispered, and she froze in his arms.

"Because what's the point of hashing it all up? Romano's dead. He can't hurt us anymore, so I don't see the need to dwell on it. Never look back, that's what the General always says…"

"This is different Lo…"

"Clark, leave it alone. I'm okay I promise." She carefully extricated herself from his grasp and took the smallest suitcase containing Kaleb's things into the bedroom.

Clark let out a sigh and walked over to the balcony doors. Opening them wide he got a blast of sea air, and he breathed in deep, closing his eyes. He didn't particularly feel good about Romano's death, but he did feel a sense of relief that his family would no longer be in danger. He turned his head towards the bedroom, hearing Lois' voice soothing a waking Kaleb.

Now all that was left was to pick up the pieces.

~~~~~~~~

"You know you really didn't have to do all this." Chloe said, standing in the dining room doorway. She watched Oliver put the finishing touches to the table he'd so carefully laid out, then walk over to her.

"I thought the brownie points might help." he chuckled, guiding her into a chair.

"Help with what? And you don't need brownie points with me, you gave Clark and Lois a chance to get away from the stress here, you helped save Kaleb and Lois. All in all, I'd say you're doing pretty well."

"It's not about that." he replied, and there was an edge to his voice. If Chloe didn't know any better she would think he was…oh no. Was he going to…?

"I meant what I said before, Chlo…I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Is this a proposal?" She mentally slapped herself for blurting it out, but Oliver just grinned.

"No but now you've made it awkward."

"Oh…"

Then he got down on one knee in front of her chair, pulled a small box out of his back pocket and opened it. "Of course it is. Chloe Sullivan…will you marry me?"

Aside from the butterflies doing the rumba in her chest, Chloe couldn't honestly pinpoint her emotions right now. All she was sure of was her answer. But since he'd teased her, she wanted a little payback. "Well, I'll have to think about it. It's a really big step Ollie…"

But as the grin started fading, she couldn't do it. "Of course I'll marry you, you idiot. Nothing would make me happier."

The megawatt smile he gave her as he took the diamond ring out of its box and placed it on her finger was dazzling. The next thing she knew, she was out of her chair and in his arms being swung around in a circle.

"I love you Chloe…so much. You know that right?"

"I know."

"When you were in the hospital, I knew…" He put her down and stared into her eyes.  
"I just knew that I needed you in my life. You're the only one I can ever see myself loving."

"Well I'll admit you're handy to have around." She laughed, and then cupped his cheek tenderly. "But the same goes for me Ollie, I love you and nothing would feel more right than being your wife."

"Well let's make it sooner rather than later huh?" he said, leaning down for another kiss. His lips connected with hers, so soft, yet she could feel the passion lying just under the surface. With their dinner totally forgotten, Chloe let him sweep her into his arms and carry her through to their bedroom.

Clark crept quietly into the bedroom later that evening, moving slowly so that he wouldn't wake Lois up. After hearing cries for help, he flew fast, wanting to get back here as soon as he could. Thankfully it didn't take long, it had been a mugging.

But Lois was right, he had to seriously start thinking about revealing himself now that he'd been seen flying around saving people. The suit his mother had made didn't look so bad now. But he had to think of a way to make it work.

He walked over to Kaleb's crib and smiled down at his son. Fast asleep without a care in the world. At least he was young enough not to remember what happened. But the memory of seeing Romano holding him, of Lois sitting on that wall, would stay in Clark's mind for a very, very long time.

A tiny whimper from the bed had him turning around. Lois was restless, but she was asleep. Getting undressed, he climbed in next to her, cuddling up close, wrapping an arm around her waist. She moaned a little and snuggled back into him. As the sound of her heartbeat filled his mind, Clark allowed himself to drift off.

~~~~~~

It wasn't until she kicked him that he woke up. Immediately he rose to his knees, hovering over her, grabbing onto her arms. Lois was yelling, and her voice cut him deep. She sounded so terrified. "Let him go, please!"

"Lois? Lois! Wake up honey, wake up!" He shook her gently, and her eyes flew open. She stilled, raising a hand to her forehead.

"It was just a dream Lo, you're safe I promise. I'm here."

"I woke Kaleb." That was all she replied with. Clark got out of bed, took Kaleb out of his crib and placed him in Lois' arms. As soon as she started rocking him, he fell quiet, falling quickly back to sleep.

"Sorry baby." She murmured to him, stroking his dark brown hair. Clark wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she twisted so that she could lean her head on his.

"Lo…"

"Don't Clark, it was just a dream."

"We need to talk about this Lois. Please, don't shut me out." He kissed the top of her head and sighed. "Talk to me."

She was silent for a long time, just rocking Kaleb back and forth. Clark thought she was going to avoid the subject but then she let out such a tired sigh and leaned her head back against his shoulder.

"I was scared Clark. I don't think…I've ever been that scared in my entire life. And I'm a military brat." She snorted.

"Lois…"

"He came to the apartment, looking for the Blur. For you." Her voice had taken on a strange tone, like she wasn't really here but Clark knew he had to let her talk, to get it all out. "Fletch tried to fight him, but he never stood a chance. Romano pulled the gun on him, didn't even blink, just shot him." She swallowed hard, her eyes clouding over as if she was seeing it again in her mind.

"He grabbed me, I couldn't fight him Clark, and I was holding Kaleb. I couldn't fight him."

Clark felt a new wave of pain and anger hit him, pain because he hadn't been there to protect her, and anger again at Romano. "It's okay Lois."

"No, it wasn't. Because he took my baby from me. He put the gun to my head, and took our son. I was scared, so I did as I was told. It went against every grain in my body but I couldn't risk our son."

"Lo…don't do this to yourself; there was nothing you could do."

"I should've fought him, my father trained me well. But looking at Kaleb in Romano's arms, I froze. I didn't know what to do."

"I'm so sorry honey."

"It wasn't your fault." She turned her head towards him, her mouth only an inch away from his. "And I knew…I knew you would come soon. I knew you'd save us."

"I should never have let it happen in the first place. He only went after you to get to me."

"We could play the blame game all night but it won't do us any good. Romano did this, he paid the price. It's over."

Clark cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb over her lips and staring deep into her eyes. "You know I would die before I ever let anyone hurt you Lois."

"I know, but Clark, this wasn't your fault."

"I love you so much." He whispered, leaning his forehead against hers.

"I love you."

"Marry me…" Both sets of eyes flew open as they both froze. Clark hadn't planned for that to come out.

"Wh…what?" Lois said, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Uh…Lois I love you, you're the mother of my baby, and I want you to be my wife."

"When did you decide this?"

"I think I've known all along. But it all clicked just now. If I live to be a hundred years old, there will only be one woman for me, and that's you. Please say yes."

Again she fell silent, simply staring at him and he could see the battle going on inside her head. Which didn't bode well, he thought to himself with dread. He may not have planned to blurt out that question, if he had he'd have done it a little more romantically, but he knew that he'd meant it.

"Lois?"

"Yes."

"Huh?"

A slow smile crept up her face. "Yes Clark."

"Really?"

For the first time that day, Lois chuckled, and it was a gorgeous sound to his ears. "I don't really know how many different ways I can say yes before you'll get it. But yes Clark, I will marry you."

Feeling as if his heart was about to burst, Clark said nothing. He just took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

_To Be Continued..._


	50. Chapter 49

**A/N: **Sooo sorry for the long wait, I recently had some laptop issues and lost all my files so it took a while in getting this story going again. But I hope you enjoy. There will be one more chapter after this and then an Epilogue and then it will be finished :D

**_Chapter Forty Nine_**

****

**_Six months later..._**

There were fewer finer things in life, Lois thought, than the sound of your child laughing. Lying on the floor of their apartment, she held Kaleb above her at arm's length, making airplane noises and the little guy just loved it. His whole face was beaming as he laughed down at his mother. He was her little angel; Lois chuckled to herself as she lowered him down onto her chest.

"Lois…I hate to interrupt mommy time but do you think you could maybe give me a hand?" A very frustrated voice said from the bedroom doorway.

"Oops, something tells me Aunt Chloe is getting a little nervous." She whispered to Kaleb, amazed when he giggled back at her.

"I heard that."

"I said it loud enough." Lois sat up, placing Kaleb down on the floor in front of her. He was already able to sit up but she kept his back close her to knees so that he wouldn't suddenly rear backwards. Just in case. "Chlo…relax sweetie you have like…" She glanced at her watch. "Four hours till crunch time."

"And in that time I still have to make sure that the flowers are okay…"

"Done."

"That the bridesmaids are all…"

"Done."

Chloe frowned at her. "That the caterers are…"

"Done."

"Did you just do everything?"

Lois grinned. "Pretty much, and whatever I didn't do, Oliver had someone take care of it. So you can stop worrying, sit down and take a moment to breathe. This is your wedding day Chloe, you can't show up to the church looking like a nervous wreck."

Chloe folded her arms and leaned against the bedroom doorway and Lois could swear she saw her pout a little. "I'm not nervous."

"Then why are you freaking out so early? Martha isn't even here yet."

Sighing, Chloe made her way over to them and sat down on the floor in front of Kaleb, who was now amusing himself with one of his toys. "I don't know, I just want this day to go perfectly."

"And it will. But…" Lois paused, unsure whether to ask while Chloe was in this mood.

"But what…what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just going to ask if you're sure that a small wedding is the way to go."

"You think it isn't?"

"Well, it is Oliver Queen. I would've thought that the billionaire playboy getting married would be a big deal."

Chloe smiled and reached for Kaleb, bringing him into her lap. "And that is exactly why it's a small wedding. His choice, as well as mine. And this way feels more…intimate. Just family and close friends to share the happiest day of my life."

"I get it." Lois nodded, and she did. "I can't believe this day has come around so fast."

"I know, seems like months of planning just zoomed by and…here we are."

Their eyes met and both women smiled. "Here we are." Lois replied, quietly.

"It'll be your turn soon enough."

"I know, I can't wait."

"Then why exactly have you yet to book a date?" Chloe said giving her a pointed look.

Lois shifted a little, avoiding her gaze. "Because…we're…waiting for the right time."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't get that. When is 'the right time' to get married? Come on Lois, things couldn't be better for you two right now, you got a promotion, Clark is now known to the world as Superman thanks to your article and this little guy is just perfect. What's holding you back?"

Lois stood up and tightened her robe around her. "Once we make it official, everyone will know…"

"I thought that was kinda the point."

"Well yes but…once I'm known to the world as Lois Kent, or Lois Kent-Lane or whatever. If someone figures out that Clark is Superman…"

"You're worried someone like Romano is going to come along again." Chloe shook her head. "Oh Lois, you can't let that stand in the way. Clark has never, and I mean in the whole time I've known him, he has never looked happier. You and Kaleb, you're all that matters to him."

"I know that. And I want to marry him, there's nothing I want more. I just don't want Clark to be put in that position again."

"What position?" Chloe stood up and started bouncing Kaleb, whose mood had begun to turn a little sour. He grasped Chloe's finger in a tight grip and nuzzled into her neck,

"The position of constantly having to worry about our safety."

Chloe scoffed. "You don't think he would do that anyway? Married or not Lois he's always going to be concerned. That's just Clark; he'd do that even if he was a normal average Joe. You're his family, he doesn't need a piece of paper to tell him that."

"I know."

"What does Clark say about all this?"

"He thinks I'm crazy, naturally. He would marry me tomorrow." A small smile appeared as she got lost in the memory. "He said he'd wait if that was what I really wanted, but he would want to marry me in five days or five years."

"Aww, well he's right. But you don't need me to tell you that, do you?"

"No, no I guess not."

The two women shared a meaningful glance and then looked to the door when a knock sounded and it opened to reveal Martha carrying a large bag.

"Hey Martha," Lois said, quickly wiping her eyes.

"Oh my God, it's time to start getting ready." Chloe said; suddenly back into hyper mode. She handed Kaleb to Lois and then rushed into the bedroom.

Martha chuckled and tickled her grandson's cheek. He giggled and tried to grab her hand. "I guess it's safe to say she's ready."

Lois laughed. "I'd say so."

Martha glanced at her. "Is everything okay Lois?"

Lois smiled. "Everything's great Martha." She watched as Martha took Kaleb and gave him a hug. The little boy clearly loved his grandma very much, but he always had a special smile for Jonathan, who doted on him. "It's perfect."

~~~~~~~

"Oliver? Earth to Oliver."

"Hmm?" Clearly distracted, Oliver flicked a glance at Clark, who was standing beside him at the altar, but his gaze was permanently pinned to the double doors at the end of the small chapel. "You have the rings right?"

Clark tapped his breast pocket. "Yes, they're right here. Relax."

Oliver nodded, blew out a breath and readjusted his tie for the twentieth time in a matter of minutes. Clark chuckled to himself, looking out at the small gathering of family and friends. His parents sat in the place where Oliver's parents would've been had they been alive, but Oliver had asked them to sit there. He could see the happiness in their faces and hoped that one day soon, he would be able to share his joy with them in the same way.

He wasn't really worried, he knew that he and Lois would get married, he just didn't know when. But she obviously needed time and he was willing to give her that. Besides, he had all he needed. Lois was happy; Kaleb was happy, healthy and growing fast. He had what he wanted. But he couldn't wait for the day when he would get to call her his wife.

There was silence as the background chatter faded and the soft tones of the music started to play. The double doors at the back of the room opened and at the forefront was Lois, holding Kaleb, who looked adorable dressed in his tiny little tux. As she started walking slowly, Clark had to fight to stop his jaw dropping. She was beautiful, dressed in a maroon coloured, shoulder-less gown, carrying their son who wore a maroon coloured flower in the lapel of his tux. __

My family, he thought to himself.

Then she looked up and her eyes met his and there was a moment where something seemed to pass between them. Almost like an electrical current, Clark could feel it tingle in his skin. She threw him a wink and whispered to Kaleb to look at daddy but the little boy was too busy playing with his flower. Handing him to Martha, Lois moved to stand opposite Clark and then the traditional wedding march began to play.

All eyes went to back of the room as Chloe appeared, on her father's arm, looking as if she would burst from happiness. Slowly they walked towards them, and Clark found himself looking at Oliver, at the awe on his face, and he couldn't imagine a better match for his best friend. After what seemed like forever, Chloe finally reached them and Oliver took both her hands in his.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Oliver Queen and Chloe Sullivan…"

The words of the minister seemed to fade into the background as once again, Clark's eyes met Lois'. Her smile was so bright and infectious, he couldn't help but smile back. Then she whispered. "I love you." Knowing that only he would hear it. He mouthed the words back, and then glanced at his parents as Kaleb started cooing happily. Martha was trying her best to keep him quiet but obviously his son had other ideas. It seemed like even he wanted to join in on the day.

Chuckling quietly to himself, Clark turned his attention back to the ceremony.

~~~~~~~

Early that evening, the reception was in full swing, with more guests having arrived for the party. If she was honest, Chloe only knew about half of the people in attendance, with some of them being Oliver's colleagues and people he'd known before he met her. But she didn't care. Right now she was in the arms of her new husband, dancing their first dance as a married couple.

"You okay?" Oliver asked, his eyes shining as he looked down at her.

"Never better." His hand slid a little lower on her back, and she could feel the warmth of it through her dress. "Thank you Ollie."

"What for?"

"For today, it's been…perfect." And it really had, she thought. Aside from all the butterflies and panic before the ceremony, she had gotten to the church on time and everything had gone smoothly.

"Well if it's one thing us Queens know how to do, it's throw a good party." He laughed when Chloe jabbed him in the shoulder, then turned serious. "My God you're beautiful. And you're my wife. I love being able to say that now."

"Me too. I didn't actually think I would be anyone's wife."

Oliver frowned and smoothed some hair away from her face. "Why?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "It just didn't seem like I was destined to marry anyone."

"Well you didn't marry just anyone, you married me. And I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you that you made the right decision when you said 'I do' okay?"

Not knowing how to reply, she smiled and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. Across the room, she saw Clark and Lois dancing, and from the look on Lois' face as she looked up at Clark, she knew that it wouldn't be too much longer before she was at another wedding.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Clark asked as he and Lois swayed softly to the music.

She looked away from the happy couple to her fiancé and smiled. "Just a penny? They're a little more expensive than that nowadays."

Clark chuckled, a low rumbling sound that turned her insides to mush. "Good thing I'm heading for a promotion too then huh?"

Lois stopped and stared at him. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because Perry only told me about it yesterday, he basically told me I have it already but he has to go through the proper channels," He paused. "And because…well it's a promotion, but I'll still be working closely with someone."

Lois rolled her eyes. "Doesn't he realise that you're a brilliant reporter? You don't need someone holding your hand anymore, well…" She grinned. "Not unless it's me."

Clark started swaying her again, wrapping his arms around her waist, bringing her body flush up against his so that she could feel the heat of him.

"Well I'm hoping my new partner will be okay with it."

"He'd be crazy not to. Wait, who is it? Not Ron, I swear that guy is so lazy, he…"

"Lois, it's you."

"Huh?"

The confused look on her face was so adorable, he thought. "Perry is going to partner me with you. He wants us to work together, from the same office."

For a moment, Clark was sure she was going to rant because the look on her face was anything but happy. He wondered if maybe them working together wasn't such a good idea. But then she grinned and smacked him in the shoulder. "Well if you're going to be working with me, you gotta learn to keep up."

"I'm sure I can handle you Lois."

"Oh I'm sure…" she replied, then caught the hidden meaning behind his words. As well as the darkening of his gaze. "Oh…"

She didn't have time to think of anything else because his lips were suddenly on hers, kissing her with a passion that left her knees feeling weak. Good thing she was already holding onto him.

And then it all clicked. Everything she'd been feeling, every tiny little apprehension, just faded away.

"I want to marry you." she whispered in his ear.

"I was hoping so, that's kind of why I asked." He said with a light chuckle.

She pulled back and looked him straight in the eye. "No. I want to marry you. Soon."

For a moment, Clark was speechless. "Are you sure?"

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life. You gave me Kaleb, I love you with all my heart, and I want to be your wife."

Clark blinked in shock. Then he smiled. "Then let's get married."

**__****To Be Continued...**  



	51. Chapter 50

Well here it is everyone. THE FINAL CHAPTER! Don't worry, there will be an epilogue to follow but this is it. It's kinda bittersweet actually but I'm excited to get this finished...finally. So enjoy! _**Chapter Fifty  
**_

**_Four Months Later…_**

"Kaleb…" Clark groaned, early that morning. Sitting in the farmhouse kitchen, Clark was attempting to get Kaleb to eat his breakfast. "Your mother would kill me if she saw you right now. Come on, you have to actually eat something. You have a big day ahead of you."

The little boy sat in his highchair, his pudgy hands full of mushed up banana and his face coated in it. His giggle had Clark smiling despite his current predicament.

"How did you manage to get it in your hair too?" Clark shook his head. "It's a good thing your mom can't really be mad at me today isn't it?"

Kaleb was now mushing more banana onto his face, narrowly missing his mouth, but his attention was totally on his father. Clark grabbed a moist wipe and started cleaning his face, something Kaleb did not approve of as he twisted and turned his head to avoid it. Eventually, Clark gave up.

"Well then, I guess it's bath time…again. Come on big guy." Clark lifted him out of his highchair and held him in one arm as he walked through to the living room. His dad and Oliver were currently sitting on the couch, watching a game.

"I'm just gonna give Kaleb a bath."

Jonathan turned his head and after taking one look at Kaleb, burst out laughing. "You know Clark he's supposed to actually _eat_ the food not wear it."

Clark shot his father a sideways glance. "Oh really? Thanks for the tip."

"Yeah well, like father like son. You were always the same way."

"Well he's learning from the best then." He heard Jonathan and Oliver laughing as he walked up the stairs.

Once the bath was drawn, he carefully lowered his son into the warm water.

"Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da…" Came the constant babble from Kaleb as he started splashing about, making Clark grin. It had been his first word…dada…and each time Clark heard it, his heart swelled with love. Except now he said it on a constant loop without a break in between words.

Clark chuckled and started running some water through his son's dark brown, now sticky, hair. It was longer now, covering the tops of his ears with slight curls at the tips. His little boy was growing so fast, it was hard not to feel a little sad at that. But each day with him was special, each one bringing one surprise after another.

"Oh Kaleb…" Clark sighed, massaging a little baby shampoo into his hair. "When are you going to say mommy huh? Or mama? Whichever is easier. It really would make her so happy. She's been waiting for you to say it."

Kaleb paused his splashing and looked up at Clark with curious eyes and for a moment, Clark had a crazy notion that Kaleb actually understood what he was saying. But then he just smiled, let out one of his cute little baby squeals and started babbling again. "Da-da-da-da-da-da-da."

"I guess we'll get there one day huh?" Clark said, rubbing his cheek gently.

He glanced at his watch, aware that the time was ticking down and the excitement that he'd been holding in all morning was now starting to bubble to the surface. And…silly as it was, he actually missed Lois right now. He wanted nothing more than to see her but she was with Chloe and his mom at the apartment above the Talon. Fletch had long since moved back to Colorado but the place was still technically in Lois' name so the girls had gone there while the men had stayed at the farm. And Kaleb was with them because Clark wanted Lois to be able to get ready without having to worry about taking care of him as well.

It was going to be a small wedding, planned in only a few short months. But Lois had insisted that they marry in the church where his parents were married. She said that since they started their life there, and theirs was the kind of love Lois aspired to, she wanted to create that for them too. Clark loved the sentiment, but honestly, he didn't care where he married her, just that they got married.

Throughout the planning, he'd sensed a nervousness in Lois, one that had him a little concerned. She'd freak out about the tiniest thing, leaving him wondering if this was what she really wanted. He knew she loved him, there was no doubt about that, but he wondered if Romano still played a part in why she didn't want make it all official to the world. He was probably just being silly. He hoped so anyway.

On his part, there was not a single nerve, nothing. He knew this was the right thing, he wanted this with every part of his being. And today, finally, he would marry the woman of his dreams.

"Lois come on, let's go!" Chloe yelled, holding the door to the apartment open. She checked her watch for the hundredth time and sighed, she knew it was traditional for the bride to turn up a few minutes late but Lois was pushing it.

"I'll go check on her." Martha offered, disappearing into the bathroom. Chloe was just about to close the door when a hand appeared, and she shrieked.

"Uncle Sam!" She gave him a hug, then lightly smacked his shoulder. "Don't you know not to sneak up on people?"

"It's the military training." he said by way of apology, a light chuckle accompanying it. "You look great."  
He said, taking in the deep purple colour dress she was wearing. "How's my girl?"

"She's ready. I think. Martha's checking on her now. We're already late." Chloe did a double take. "And so are you actually."

"What's new there?" Lucy said, laughing as she walked in ahead of him. "You know daddy always has something he needs to attend to at the last minute."

"Lucy, why aren't you dressed yet? Lois is going to freak."

"Calm down cuz, I have everything I need in this bag and I assume you have my dress. My hair and make-up are already done, I did that on the plane, so it will only take a few minutes."

The air in the room went silent as the bathroom door opened and Martha stepped out, looking lovely in an off-white colour suit. Her face was beaming as she turned around and looked behind her. And then Chloe heard the collective gasps as Lois appeared. Lucy quickly dove into the vacated bathroom to get dressed and Chloe hoped she would hurry.

"Lo…" The General said…looking unsure of how to even respond. "You look…" If Chloe wasn't mistaken, she could've sworn she saw tears in her uncle's eyes. "Your mother would be so proud."

"Really?" Lois asked, nervously smoothing down the fabric of her dress and adjusting her veil. It was a gorgeous dress, Chloe had to admit. Figure hugging at the bodice and waist, but then it fanned out at the bottom, suiting her as if it had been made just for her.

General Lane walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, then he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Really."

Lois drew in a deep breath. "Okay, okay I can do this. I can do this." She met her father's eyes. "I'm getting married daddy."

He cupped her cheek tenderly. "I know. My little Lo, so grown up." There was a moment where the General seemed to visibly choke up, to the point where he felt he had to change the subject. "So where's my grandson?"

"He's with his father."

Sam nodded and held out his arm, with a smile so bright that Chloe had never seen on him before. He was so proud.

"Let's get this show on the road." Lucy called out, appearing from the bathroom, dressed, coifed and ready to go.

"Wow, you weren't kidding." Chloe chuckled, amazed at her cousin's speed.

"It's a gift." Lucy replied. "You ready for this sis?"

Lois nodded. "I'm ready."

**~~~~~~~~~~  
**

The small but intimate setting of the chapel was breath taking as Lois and her entourage stood just inside the main doors. The winter chill wasn't even enough to dampen her spirits as she fixed her gaze on the solid pine wood door that she was about to go through. Martha had already gone in, and Chloe and Lucy were standing each side of her.

"You're shaking." Sam said, holding both her hands.

"I know. I can't seem to control it." she laughed. "Stupid huh?"

"No, it's not. This is a big day Lo…but you'll be fine." He leaned in and whispered. "And I think you picked the right guy. I approve of Clark." Not that she needed him to say it, but Lois couldn't help but feel a deep sense of pride for her husband-very soon-to-be. After all, it took a pretty special guy to get the General's seal of approval.

"Okay Lois, it's show time." Chloe said, lowering the veil over Lois' face.

She swallowed hard and nodded, taking her father's arm and stepping up to the door. The music started and the doors opened, with Lucy walking in slowly first. Then Chloe followed. And suddenly, it was her turn. She closed her eyes for a second, took a deep breath and began to move. But as soon as she saw his face, his eyes glued to her every move, she no longer felt the nerves. The shaking stopped and everything just seemed to fall into place.

This was it, the moment where the rest of her life would begin. The smile that appeared was so wide that it made her cheeks ache, but she didn't even care. Because she couldn't have erased it had she tried. The only thing on her mind right now, was the six feet of handsome standing at the altar, looking at her like she was the only thing in his world.

A loud babble had her attention turning to her son, in the arms of his grandmother. "Da-da-da-da-da-da-da…" Dressed in a cute little tux, similar to the one he'd worn at Chloe's wedding, Lois almost squealed at how adorable he looked. She chuckled along with the rest of the gathered guests and continued on her way. As they reached the altar, her father stopped, kissed the back of her hand, and then placed it in Clark's.

"I'll take good care of her sir." Clark said, and it was only then that Lois noticed how much his hand was shaking. Was he nervous? The guy who, for the past few months had been nothing but calm?

"I know you will son." The General replied, then he stepped back and Lois and Clark were suddenly face to face. He looked so handsome, so…gorgeous, Lois thought. And she couldn't believe that she would get to spend the rest of her life married to him. Slowly, with shaky hands, Clark reached forward and lifted the veil over her head. Then he took both of her hands in his, holding on tightly, as the minister began to speak.

With the vows already done, Lois and Clark were finally at the 'I do' stage of the ceremony. The minister turned to Clark and began to speak, but something was wrong. Very wrong, and Lois felt her insides turn to ice. He had that look on his face, the one that told her he had to go. But this was their wedding day, surely he could…? No. It was bad, whatever it was. Bad enough to have him looking at her so torn.

It was clear he didn't want to go, but his internal battle was evident to Lois and she knew that she would never forgive herself if she allowed them to get married while people were dying. Because for him to have that look, that had to be what was happening.

"It's okay." She whispered, so only he could hear. "Fake an illness. It'll be okay."

He shook his head slightly, and his grip on her hand tightened. He didn't want to go. But she knew that he had to.

"You have to. I understand. Do it."

Suddenly Clark doubled over, grabbing onto his stomach and groaning loudly. Lois leapt into action, kneeling down next to him.

"Clark? Honey, what's wrong?"

"I don't know…" he gasped.

The crowd all leaned forward in their seats, worried but curious. _Come on Lois, you can do this. Be strong, for him._

"Is there a room I can take him to?" she asked the minister, who nodded and showed them to a little room off to the side of the altar.

"Okay everyone, it's okay, I'm sure that Clark is fine and everything will be proceed as planned." The General said, stepping into action. Though clearly, he was just as confused as everyone else.

"Lois…" Clark didn't even know what to say. She kept her back to the door, leaning against it in case anyone came in unexpectedly. "Please, I don't…"

"Clark, you have to. The world needs Superman, I can't be selfish here, not when so many people are in danger. Go."

"But…"

"We can always get married Clark. And I'll be waiting for you to come back and finish what you started."

Clark swallowed hard, feeling a lump in his throat and tears sting his eyes. She looked so disappointed, but there was something in her eyes that concerned him more. It was as if she'd been expecting this to happen. And it scared him that she thought that way. That something would always come between them. But with him being Superman, he knew that it was sometimes going to be inevitable.

He walked towards her, aware of the time passing, aware that he had no choice but to go. But he couldn't leave her like this. Placing his hands either side of her face, he kissed her deeply, as if he was taking the memory of the kiss with him.

"I'm okay Clark."

"Then why do you look like you're about to cry? Please Lois, I don't wanna leave you like this…"

She sniffled and pointed to the door on the other side of the room. "I can call your parents in, tell everyone they had to take you to the hospital or home, or something. I'll figure it out. You need to go."

"Lois…"

"Just go Clark! Please."

With a deep sigh and a heavy heart, Clark took one last look at the heart-breaking expression on her face, and left.

Only when he was gone did Lois allow the tears to really fall. She sank to the floor, holding onto her stomach, feeling sick. How was she going to explain this?

**~~~~~~~~~~**

Later that afternoon, Lois was at the farmhouse. The guests had all been sent home and Chloe and Oliver were taking the General and Lucy back to the Talon, where they would stay the night. She wasn't in the mood to deal with her father's questions. She knew she would have to tell him one day, but that day wasn't today.

She stared out of the window in the living room, watching the sky grow as grey as her mood. Fitting really, she thought. Clark had been gone for hours, and it was only after she arrived at the farmhouse that she found out that a volcano had erupted and hundreds of thousands of people were in danger.

She'd seen glimpses of him on the news, flashes of red and blue as the reporters tried to capture an image of Superman. Despite the situation, the timing of all this, she was incredibly proud of him.

"Lois?" Jonathan's quiet voice came from behind her. "Would you like me to take him? He must be getting heavy."

Lois glanced down at the sleeping one-year old in her arms and shook her head. She needed him close to her. "No thank you."

She saw him nod solemnly in the reflection of the glass and move away. She heard the whispers between him and Martha in the kitchen, but she stayed where she was. She hadn't even changed out of her wedding dress yet, she just couldn't face taking it off.

"Lois honey, you can't stand there all day." Martha said, her voice soothingly sweet. "He could be gone for a while."

"I know. But I can't seem to move." she admitted. She didn't want to move. The newscaster's voice blared into the living room as he announced that the danger had now passed thanks to Superman's efforts but the hero himself was nowhere to be seen. "Could you turn that off please?"

Martha sighed, and went over to turn the TV off.

"Mama…" A tiny, sleepy little voice grabbed Lois' attention, making her gasp. She looked down to see Kaleb's wide, bright eyes, shining at her.

"Oh my…Kaleb…did you just say mama? Say it again baby boy, please."

Kaleb yawned and rubbed his eyes, but didn't say anything else and Lois sighed in disappointment. "Aw, that's okay. It's been a long day…for all of us."

She lifted him higher and kissed his cheek, holding him tight against her, needing to feel the comfort of him hugging her. Then out of nowhere, Kaleb raised his hand and touched her face, one finger pointing at the tear on her cheek. The expression he wore was one of sadness, mimicking his mother's.

"Mama…" he said again, and Lois felt an ache in her chest. Pride, love, every happy emotion she could think of, she was feeling right now.

Martha and Jonathan stood behind her, smiling. "That boy sure has good timing." Jonathan said, hugging his wife.

"He sure does." Lois replied, smiling through the tears. Her eyes caught movement outside the window. "Oh look Kaleb, it's snowing!"

Large flakes began to fall from the sky, instantly landing on the ground and settling. "Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas." She chuckled.

Within half an hour, there was a thick blanket of snow coating the ground, transforming the farm into a winter wonderland. And Lois was still standing at the window, only now Kaleb was upstairs taking a nap. She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging tightly, wishing that she'd been able to share her happiness in that moment with Clark. But he still wasn't home yet.

She shivered as someone placed a blanket around her bare shoulders. "Thanks Jonathan." She murmured. But then a cough sounded and she spun around, coming face to face with Clark.

Without a word, they both fell into each other's arms. "I was worried about you." She whispered. He pulled back and cupped her cheek.

"I'm so sorry our day got ruined." His voice was thick, heavy with remorse.

"It's not your fault. And you did great out there."

"You still want to marry me?"

She frowned. Did he not know her better than that? "How can you even ask me that?"

Then suddenly, he smiled, but it was a nervous smile. One full of hope but expecting the worst. "Because the minister is here."

"What?" She felt her eyes grow wide and it was only then that she noticed that he was still dressed in his tux. He must've changed into it before coming back here.

"He's here and willing to marry us right now. I know it's not perfect but…what do you say? Wanna get married today?"

She glanced out the window, the snow was coming down pretty heavily. "Here?"

"Why not? It's beautiful out there…and I will keep you warm." He said with a tiny wink.

She chewed her bottom lip in thought. "It is pretty…kinda perfect really. Let's do it!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Clark picked her up so that her feet were no longer touching the ground, then he kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too." She chuckled, all the disappointment and hurt from earlier, slowly seeping away. "Oh, but we have to get my father and Lucy. They went to the Talon with Chloe and Oliver."

"It's okay, I called them before I got here. They're on their way now."

"You've got it all planned haven't you?"

Clark's smile faded and he looked at her seriously. "You deserve the best Lois, and I promise, that I will always do my best to give that to you. I know this isn't the wedding you planned but…"

She put a finger to his lips, stopping him. "No it isn't. It's better. Just you and me, our family. It's perfect."

**~~~~~  
**

"Congratulations, I now pronounce you husband…and wife." The minster smiled and looked at Clark. "You may now kiss your bride…finally."

Clark took his new wife into his arms, holding her close, and lowered his head, capturing her mouth with his. Standing outside in the front yard, enclosed by white pickets fences, the ground covered with snow and with it still falling lightly from the sky, it was the most romantic setting he could've ever imagined sharing with her.

The General, his parents, Chloe, Oliver and Lucy all stood behind them, clapping. Even Kaleb, who was wrapped up warm in his thick winter coat, hat and gloves, was joining in, though Clark suspected he didn't really know what he was clapping about. He was just happy. _And so am I_, he thought. He didn't think he could actually be any happier right now. His soul felt complete, like he'd finally fit the last piece into the puzzle.

When Lois pulled back, her eyes were slightly glazed, a look that told him they would be heading out soon to start their honeymoon. Then she shivered and he took that opportunity to take his tux jacket off and slip it over her shoulders, and whilst doing so, he quickly shot a wide burst of heat around her to keep her warm.

"Thank you." She whispered, kissing him again.

He shook his head, amazed at the intensity of his feelings right now. This woman, who'd put up with so much because of him, was still standing by his side, still loving him. He was the luckiest man in the world. And because of her, he was able to be what the rest of the world needed him to be.

"I love you Mrs Kent…" he frowned. "Kent-Lane. Lane-Kent?"

"How about just Mrs Kent?" she smiled.

"Perfect." He murmured, leaning in for another kiss.

"You're sure he's okay?" Lois asked worriedly, clutching the phone to her ear. Clark stood behind her, with his arms around her waist. She groaned and leaned back against his bare chest.

Three days into their honeymoon and it had gotten off to a good start so far, and the weather here was the complete opposite to the snow back in Smallville. But then…Oliver knew his gift would be appreciated. As a wedding present that he refused to allow them to deny, he'd sent them to his villa again, only this time with no staff coming or going, just them…alone…for a whole week. He had gathered up as many heroes as possible to cover for Clark so that he wouldn't have to worry about shooting off and Lois was grateful for that.

Martha spoke softly into the phone. "Lois, he's fine sweetheart stop worrying. He's just missing you a little that's all. He'll be fine I promise."

"Okay, I know I'm being silly but…"

"I understand. It's hard leaving him here but you and Clark need to focus on yourselves for a little while. Enjoy the time alone with each other. Kaleb has been, and will be just fine here."

"Okay, thank you Martha."

"No problem honey, tell Clark I said hello."

Lois hung up and turned around in her husband's arms. Man she loved saying that word. _Husband_. It just sounded so…real. _And he's all mine_, she thought, wicked thoughts popping into her head. _Well, we are on our honeymoon_, she reasoned.

"Lois…he's fine." he reassured.

"I know, I know. But I can't help worrying, this is the first time I've ever left him."

Clark reached out and touched her face. His fingertips were so soft, so gentle, as they explored her cheekbone. Her eyelids closed and she felt him step closer. The fingers of his other hand slid through her hair to the back of her neck and he gently pulled her closer. She didn't even try to resist, just placed her palms on his chest, because she suddenly couldn't last another moment without touching him.

The kiss started off as slow and soft as his first touch, but it was neither tentative nor testing. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. That much was obvious. However, the kiss didn't stay soft and graceful for long. That intoxicating chemistry they'd had since the first time they'd kissed was still there, now even more so. And Clark's hands were soon around her waist, clamping her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, meeting him, urging him on.

Then he lifted her and for a second she was suspended in his arms, before her bottom met the slightly cool, smooth surface of the vanity desk in the bedroom. She hooked a leg around the back of his knees, keeping him pressed up against her, and her fingers gently explored the broad planes of his chest.

Clark made a sound that was part laugh, part moan and dipped his head lower to kiss her neck. Lois groaned as his hands tore open her shirt, buttons flying off in all directions, and she gasped as his hands met the flesh of her abdomen. Moving slightly lower, Clark kissed his way along her exposed collar bone, drawing out a long moan from Lois as she raked her fingers up and down his back.

He couldn't take anymore, he had to get these clothes off. He needed to feel her…skin to skin. Have her cover him like a blanket so he could surround himself with her and never let go. Her scent was driving him crazy, making him do things he would normally take his time on. Pretty quickly, her shirt was gone, her pants too and she was left sitting there in her underwear.

Clark took a moment to look at his wife. _My wife_. She was so beautiful. The rosy tint in her cheeks made her look even more so. Unable to keep his hands off her any longer, Clark lifted her into his arms again, this time heading for the bed. She giggled as he lay her down, pressing his weight on top of her, not too much, but just enough.

"I think the dress situation is a little one sided here Smallville." She said, her breathing heavy.

He nodded, nuzzling her neck. "You're right." And the next thing she knew, her underwear was gone and she was totally naked.

"Not quite what I meant."

His eyes blazed with heat as he stared down at her. "Oh it was exactly what _I_ meant. But you're right."

Slowly he stood up and whilst keeping direct eye contact with her, he unzipped his jeans and stepped out of them. She sat up as he started to take off his boxers, but stopped him. He looked at her, confused, but she just grinned and leaned forward.

"That would be my job." As her hands slowly lowered them, her eyes followed the movement, widening slightly as she saw what only she could do to him. Her tongue flicked out and licked her bottom lip, before she nibbled on it. Dear God, this woman was going to be the death of him, he thought with a moan.

A few seconds later both were naked, and even though it was hot outside, the air conditioning made Lois shiver. Not wanting her to get chilly, Clark quickly lay down next to her, running his hand along her thigh, making tiny little goose bumps break out on her skin. He loved how responsive she was to his touch. She always had been, it was something he would never tire of. Ever. He would never be able to get enough of this woman.

"Clark…" her voice almost did him in, but he looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"Lois, I can't believe I ever let you go. I won't ever make that mistake again. You're my wife, my heart…my soul. And I will love you forever."

"Forever's a long time." She smiled, tangling her fingers in his hair.

He pressed his lips to hers, then pulled back. "I'm counting on it."

_**Epilogue to follow...**_


	52. Epilogue

Well guys, here we are again. It's that bittersweet moment where I'm eager to get this finished but sad that it's ending too. I just would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who has commented, I know this fic has dragged on for a long time but you all stuck with it, and me and for that I am grateful. So here it is...enjoy...the epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

"Kent!" Perry White's voice boomed into Clark and Lois' shared office, making Clark jump and spill his coffee all over his desk. He straightened his glasses and started to clean it up, glancing at his editor-in-chief briefly. He didn't appear to be angry, which wasn't always a good sign with him. He was unpredictable sometimes. But he wasn't yelling yet so whatever it was couldn't be that bad.

"Yes chief? Uh…I mean Perry." Clark fidgeted. He knew how much Perry hated being called chief. It was a fact that Lois was well aware of and yet she still called him chief every day.

But then, Clark had learned to stay out of the way when Lois and Perry butted heads. Which they often did. But Clark knew deep down, Perry cared for Lois and she cared a lot about what he thought too.

"Where's your wife? I called her and she isn't answering. I need her to cover this story."

Clark checked his watch, wondering himself where Lois was. It wasn't like her to be out all afternoon, not without at least calling him anyway. Where was she?

"I'm sure she's on a lead somewhere or meeting a source, you know what she's like."  
Clark offered, knowing that Lois sometimes liked to sneak off to catch a source.

It bugged him, but she always assured him that she was safe and if she wasn't, well she would yell for him, or if it was dangerous she simply wouldn't go. And Clark knew that for their marriage to last, he had to give her the space that she required to do her job. After all, they lived together, ate together, slept together and worked in the same office. They both needed time to themselves sometimes. But that didn't make him any less concerned about her safety.

Perry grunted and shook his head. "Well you're going to have to cover this then." He said, shoving a folder into Clark's hands.

"What is it?"

Perry rolled his eyes. "The mayor is giving Superman the key to the city today." He looked at his watch. "In precisely one hour actually and I need my best reporter on this."

Clark said nothing but held in a chuckle when Perry did a double take. "I mean uh…one of my best reporters. So you'll have to go in her place."

"I can't."

Perry looked at Clark as if he'd just told him he was an alien. "You can't? Why the hell not?"

"Uh well…? Because I have a meeting…"

"With who?"

"With uh…"

"He's meeting my source for me." Said a voice from the doorway. Both Clark and Perry breathed a sigh of relief as Lois sauntered into the room, with a grin lighting up her face. "You know, since I'm covering Superman _again_."

Perry sighed. "Before you start Lois, I am well aware that you always do the Superman stories, but that's because you're the best person for the job. You two have a rapport, he trusts you. Plus the way you tell the stories make them practically leap out of the page and come to life. So don't be grumbling to me…"

"Chief! Calm down, I wasn't grumbling." Lois chuckled and stood on her tiptoes to place a quick kiss on Clark's cheek. Their eyes met for a moment in a silent question. "I'm fine." She whispered, knowing what he was asking.

"Good, well…okay then." Perry muttered. "I want you at the ceremony before it starts Lois, get as much…"

"As I can, yes I know. This isn't my first outing Chief."

Perry turned a visible shade of red. "Lane?"

"Yeah?" she asked, the picture of pure innocence and Clark couldn't hold in the bark of laughter any longer.

Perry obviously felt the same way and just shook his head. "You drive me crazy. But I wouldn't have you any other way."

He turned and left the room, and Lois looked at Clark. "You okay? You looked a little…"

"I'm good. You know how bad I am at thinking of excuses. Thanks for that by the way."

Lois grinned and wrapped her arms around his waist. "That's what I'm here for Smallville. Though you'd think after five years you'd be a little better at it by now."

He lowered his head and captured her mouth in a loving kiss, one that lingered and hinted at what would come later that evening. "I love you Mrs Kent."

"You better." She laughed. "And I love you back."

"So where were you? Perry said he called you and he didn't get an answer."

"I had something I needed to do. By the way, do you think your parents would mind babysitting tonight?"

"You know they wouldn't. But what's the occasion?"

She wiggled her eyebrows at him. "It's a surprise."

A surprise, Clark knew, that he would like very much.

An hour later, Lois was standing in the crowd, at the front near the podium where the rest of the press were. Outside the city hall, the crowd was gathering and it was big. Lois couldn't even count how many people were there. But she loved it. Because they were here for one man. Her husband. She couldn't be any prouder of him if she tried.

"Momma, where's Daddy?"

Lois glanced down at the little girl who'd spoken. At two and a half years old, Ella was a little cutie pie and definitely a daddy's girl. With brown curly hair and hazel coloured eyes, she looked just like Lois, which Lois was secretly pleased about because Kaleb, who was now almost seven, looked the epitome of his father.

"He'll be here soon sweetie." She replied, smiling because even at two, Ella still hadn't managed to grasp that her father was really Superman.

"That's all she kept asking in the car." Jonathan said, laughing as he hugged Martha close.

Lois was so grateful to both of them, they often took care of Ella while Lois was at work and Kaleb was in school. Of course, both kids loved the fact that Clark flew to pick them up each evening.

Chloe and Oliver appeared hand in hand, with Chloe holding their son in one arm. "Did we miss the party?" she asked.

"Nope, you're just in time." Lois grinned, kissing her nephew on the cheek. Joshua Queen was one year old and had the most beautiful blonde hair Lois had ever seen.

"Oh good. Wouldn't miss this for the world. I guess Green Arrow's invitation got lost in the mail." Oliver said, feigning jealousy. But Lois knew he was as proud of Clark as she was.

While the grown-ups were talking, Kaleb took his little sister's hand in his, he was such a protective big brother. It melted Lois' heart to see it. He took care of her without even having to be asked. "Mommy, it's Daddy's special day today isn't it?"

Their son knew who his father was because Lois and Clark had made no attempt to keep it a secret from him. But they had explained the importance of keeping it a secret and Kaleb had taken it on with a fierce understanding.

"It certainly is."

"My Daddy is special." Ella said in a sweet little voice.

"I hope I grow up to be like him. I would save everyone." Kaleb exclaimed excitedly.

Lois shuddered at the thought of her son being able to fly one day, but she knew that Clark would teach him well, make sure he knew all the important things. And with Kaleb already wanting to save _everyone_, Lois knew he'd be okay.

The crowd started to murmur and Lois looked up to see Mayor Dawson, now in her sixth term and not looking to stop yet, step up to the podium.

"Okay you two, remember what I told you?"

"Be quiet and well behaved." Kaleb said with a nod. Ella, still holding her big brother's  
hand, nodded along with him.

"Good." Lois replied, smiling and trailing a finger down both their noses.

"Good afternoon Metropolis. I would just like to thank you all for taking the time to come out here and join us for this remarkable celebration." Patrice said. Then as she spoke next, her eyes met Lois' and she smiled.

"We are here today to give our gratitude to one person. A person who patrols our streets late at night, keeping us safe from harm. A person who has on numerous occasions, saved my life. He has battled tirelessly, sometimes at great risk to his own life, but he never once asked for a thank you. But today, I want to change that. Ladies and gentlemen, today we honour our city's greatest protector. Well, the world's protector. And he is such a remarkable gentleman to boot." She said with a chuckle. "So please, put your hands together and join me in welcoming to the stage…Superman!"

A loud roar rose from the crowd as each person clapped and yelled and some even whistled. Lois tried hard not to burst out laughing as she heard a group of teenaged girls standing next to her excitedly screeching to each other. It was a little weird to think of her husband as some kind of idol.

But as he stepped up next to the Mayor, looking so…embarrassed and adorable, yet standing so tall and proud, it took Lois a moment to not join in with them. She knew he would be hating this, all this attention, it wasn't what Superman was about. But she wanted this for him and the city obviously did too. It was their way of paying back to the man who'd dedicated his life to helping others.

As Clark moved closer to the microphones, his eyes fell on his family. His parents, his friends, his wife and his two precious babies who were looking at him like he held the world in the palm of his hand. There was such awe in their little faces. It gave him a strange, but fuzzy feeling in his stomach. For a moment he was speechless, just standing there staring into his wife's supportive eyes and he could practically feel the love radiating from them.

"Thank you. I can't tell you what this means to me." What he really wanted to do was thank the woman standing below him, but he couldn't. No one could really know what a rock she had been to him. That each time he fell, she was the one to pick him back up again. "It has been my honour to serve this city, and I will always…" He flicked his glance back to Lois. "I will always be around."

Clark arrived home later that evening to find the apartment completely dark. Which was…weird. Lois had told him she would be here. The kids were at the farm with his parents and they'd decided to make it a little more fun and give Chloe and Oliver a break too and have Joshua over to stay too.

He dropped his suit jacket on a nearby chair and crossed through the living room and into the kitchen. "Lois?" Where was she?

"Out here." She called from the balcony. He smiled and walked over to the doors, but his jaw almost hit the floor as he saw her.

Dressed in a red negligee with a lacy gown covering it, her long brown hair cascading down past her shoulders, Clark couldn't take his eyes off her. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

"You're late." She smiled, as he walked closer.

He didn't say anything, just took her into his arms and kissed her senseless. When she pulled back, he could see the faint blush rising in her cheeks. He loved the affect he had on her. But he wasn't sure that she knew the affect she had on him. Because right now it was pretty difficult to actually take in anything she was saying.

"So what do you think?" she asked.

"Perfect." He replied, staring at her. She chuckled and grabbed his chin, moving his gaze to the patio where she'd set up a table for two, with candles and…was that…?

"Okay so I know I can't cook, and I figured you'd want something edible when you got home so I got us some Chinese take-out. From your favourite place."

Clark shook his head and laughed. "It's perfect Lois. Thank you. But what's the occasion?"

"Do I need a reason to spoil my husband?"

"Lois what did you do?" he asked, warily.

"Nothing! I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me…that's all." But there was something she wasn't telling him, something important.

"Lois…" he warned.

"Just sit…please? There's plenty of time for talk, we have all evening."

So he sat, and Lois began dishing out the food, chatting merrily about work and other things, but Clark wasn't paying that much attention. His eyes were glued to her, the way she moved, how close she was.

Dinner was delicious he had to admit, but what made it more so was the effort that Lois had put into it. She was a spontaneous person by nature, but she never usually did something like this without a reason. After they'd finished eating, Lois got up and started to clear the plates, but he stood and grabbed her hands, stopping her.

"Leave them." He said, bringing her around the table and into his arms.

Lois stilled for a moment, battling between wanting to talk and wanting to kiss him. She knew she should step back if she stood any chance of talking to him, except she was reluctant to part from the compassion he offered, the security of being held in strong arms, and the touch of his lips against her forehead.

It felt so good to breathe in the scent of him, the faint tinge of soap he'd used mingling with the muskiness of male. It crept into her senses, as powerful as any aphrodisiac, stirring alive the hunger for his touch. She murmured indistinctly as she pressed her lips into the warm skin, savoured a little, then slid her hand down his arm to rest on his hip.

Clark tilted her chin and sought her mouth with his own, gently at first, taking it slow with an evocative slide of his tongue along her lower lip, felt her mouth part, allowing him entry and the tentative welcome as her tongue moved to tease his own. He fought to control himself, knowing that if he didn't, it would be over before it began.

With the slow drift of his hand, the soft caress of his lips as he touched every sensitive pulse-point, Lois became lost, unable to stop him or even think of doing so. One hand slid to her nape, while the other moved down her back, slipping under the gown, beneath the fabric to gently squeeze her bottom.

His body tightened unbearably and he lifted her, and carried her inside. He knew no one could see onto the balcony, but he wasn't taking any chances. He wanted her with such a fierceness that even after five years of marriage still hadn't lessened. She was his greatest strength. But also his weakness when it came to resisting her. But then...why would he ever want to?

Her plans of talking had flown right out the window as he lowered her carefully onto the bed. She couldn't stop now, didn't want to. As she felt those strong arms enclose around her again, she silently chuckled to herself.

Who was she kidding? Dressed as she had been, there was no chance they'd even make it past dessert. And she'd been right.

**~~~~~~~~~~**

  
A little while later, Lois was lying across his chest, body aching but in all the right places. Clark was brushing his hand up and down her back, making her shiver in response.

"Well that was…" she breathed heavily.

"Amazing." He said, his voice raspy and incredibly sexy.

"Not what I had planned."

One eyebrow rose. "Oh really?" Then his gaze shifted over to the negligee now lying on the floor.

"Well, obviously it was planned but…I'd wanted to talk to you before that." She chuckled.

"What about?" The lazy smile had disappeared, and in its place was a concerned frown.  
"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She assured him.

"Lois, tell me. You disappeared at lunch, Perry couldn't get hold of you and you rarely turn your phone off. Where were you?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I was at the doctor's office."

"Are you okay? Are you sick?" Concern was now replaced by sheer worry.

She let him sit up and then moved so that she was sitting in his lap. Placing her hands on his chest, she leaned in and kissed him. "I'm not sick Clark."

"You're not?" He almost looked like he didn't believe her.

"No I'm not. In fact I'm in perfect health. But there is one thing…"

Clark visibly winced.

"I…_we're_…expecting another baby."

She watched as the information sunk in, registered and then his eyes flew straight back to hers.

"You're pregnant!"

"Yes. About six weeks now. That was why I disappeared earlier. I wanted to have confirmation before I told you."

"Wow," he said, breathing out heavily.

"You are happy aren't you?"

"Happy? I'm ecstatic! We're having another baby Lois how could you think I wouldn't be happy?"

She blew out a relieved breath. "I don't know. But…can you believe this? Three children Clark. I never thought I'd have one let alone three."

Clark leaned forward, cupping her face tenderly in his hands. "We can have as many as you want Lois."

"Oh no, no I'm good with three." She said with a slight wince. "Besides buddy, you're not the one who has to push them out. At least Ella was born in a hospital though." She chuckled.

Ignoring her rant, Clark smiled and placed his hands over her stomach. "I love you so much Lois, this is going to sound sappy, which I know you hate, but I honestly couldn't be more in love with you right now."

"It is sappy, but it's nice. And I feel the same."

"Please don't ever leave me." He whispered.

She gasped. "Why would you even need to say that?"

He averted his gaze, choosing to inspect the curtains, and clearly he hadn't wanted those words to come out.

"Clark, I'm not going anywhere…" she trailed off as a thought hit her. "Wait a second. Does this have anything to do with me going to the doctor? You leapt into the thought that I was sick so quickly. Is that what's…"

"I'm so scared of losing you." He said, so quietly that it broke her heart a little.

She tilted her head and hooked a finger under his chin, forcing him to look at her. "_That_ day, is a long way away Smallville. You're not getting rid of me yet. I can promise you that much."

He tried to smile. "I just…really love you Lois."

"I love you too." She kissed him softly, and felt something begin to stir down below. "And I know that we have the rest of our lives together. So stop worrying."

"I'll try."

"Now if you'll excuse me…" she scooted off his lap and ran towards the door.

He was out of bed and standing in front of the door before she'd even got close. "And where do you think you're going? We have the whole night to ourselves." He pulled her close, kissing her neck, smoothing one hand over her abdomen and the other down her back.

"Bathroom break." Then she grinned wickedly at him. "Then it's time for round two."

Clark shook his head, grinning as she disappeared from view, dropping back onto the bed, lacing his hands together behind his head. All worry aside, he was the happiest he'd ever been in his life. And it could only get better from here.

The future would always scare him, but with Lois by his side, he knew he would be able to handle it.

**_The End._**


End file.
